Breakdown of Co się tak naprawdę dzieje?
co
what
dziać się
to happen, to be going on
tak naprawdę
actually, in reality
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Co się tak naprawdę dzieje?
Why is się placed right after Co and not next to the verb dzieje?
In Polish, the reflexive pronoun się likes to be in the second position of a sentence or clause. It usually avoids being the very first or the very last word if possible. Because Co is the first word here, się naturally falls right after it, separating it from the verb dzieje.
I know naprawdę means "really." What does adding tak change?
Tak naprawdę is a very common fixed phrase that translates to "really," "truly," or "actually" in a deeper sense. While naprawdę on its own means "really," adding tak emphasizes getting to the core of the matter, like asking "What is actually going on here?"
What is the infinitive form of the verb dzieje, and why does it look so different?
The infinitive is dziać się (to happen / to go on). This verb has a significant stem change when conjugated. The -ać ending changes to an -eje pattern in the present tense, making the third person singular dzieje.
Why is the verb dziać się conjugated in the third-person singular (dzieje) here?
The question word Co (What) acts as the subject of the sentence. In Polish, when co or kto (who) is the subject, the verb is always conjugated in the third-person singular, just like in English.