Breakdown of Trudno powiedzieć, kto ma rację.
kto
who
mieć rację
to be right
trudno powiedzieć
hard to say
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Questions & Answers about Trudno powiedzieć, kto ma rację.
Why do we use the adverb trudno here instead of the adjective trudne?
In Polish, when you make a general impersonal statement without a specific subject (like "It is hard to..."), you use an adverb instead of an adjective. That is why we use trudno rather than to jest trudne. You will see this pattern often with words like łatwo (it is easy) or warto (it is worth it).
Why is there a comma before kto?
Polish punctuation rules are very strict about separating clauses. You must always put a comma before a question word like kto, co, or gdzie when it introduces a new part of the sentence. In English, we do not use a comma in "to say who is right", but in Polish, it is mandatory.
Why does Polish say ma rację instead of using a translation of the verb "to be"?
In English you "are right", but in Polish you "have rightness". The base phrase is mieć rację. Here, ma means "has", and rację is the accusative (direct object) form of the feminine noun racja.
Could I use the imperfective verb mówić instead of the perfective powiedzieć here?
It would change the meaning. You use the perfective powiedzieć because you are talking about the specific act of reaching a conclusion and stating it. Trudno mówić focuses on the physical or ongoing process of speaking, which would mean "It is hard to speak" (for example, if you have a sore throat or are very emotional).