Breakdown of On jest zajęty, to znaczy nie ma czasu.
być
to be
on
he / it (m)
mieć
to have
nie
no / not
czas
time
zajęty
busy
to znaczy
that is, I mean (tzn.)
Questions & Answers about On jest zajęty, to znaczy nie ma czasu.
Why does this sentence use czasu instead of the basic word czas?
This is a classic example of the genitive of negation. The verb mieć (to have) usually takes the accusative case, but because it is negated here as nie ma, the object must switch to the genitive case. For the masculine noun czas, the genitive form is czasu.
Does to znaczy literally translate to "I mean" here?
Literally, it translates to "that means" (to = that, znaczy = means). However, Poles use this phrase exactly how English speakers use "I mean" or "that is to say" to clarify a statement or rephrase a thought. You will often see it abbreviated as tzn. in writing.
Can I use zajęty to say that a bathroom or a seat is taken?
Yes! The adjective zajęty is very versatile. It means "busy" when talking about a person, but it is also the standard word for "occupied" or "taken" when talking about a public restroom, a seat on a train, or a phone line.
Why isn't there another on before nie ma czasu?
In Polish, subject pronouns are usually dropped when it is obvious who is performing the action. Because the first half of the sentence already established that we are talking about on (he), repeating it in the second half would sound unnatural.
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