Breakdown of Podobnie jak jego brat, on jest lekarzem.
być
to be
on
he / it (m)
brat
brother
lekarz
doctor
jego
his, its
podobnie jak
just like, similarly to
Questions & Answers about Podobnie jak jego brat, on jest lekarzem.
Why use podobnie jak instead of just jak for "like"?
While jak by itself means "like" or "as", adding podobnie (which means "similarly") emphasizes the strong shared situation between the two subjects. It translates best to "just like" or "similarly to".
Why is lekarzem in the instrumental case here?
In Polish, when you use the verb być (to be) to state someone's profession, identity, or role, the noun that follows must be in the instrumental case. The nominative dictionary form is lekarz, so it becomes lekarzem.
Could we use the reflexive pronoun swój instead of jego?
No, you need to use jego here. The word swój (one's own) always refers back to the subject of the clause it is in. In the phrase podobnie jak jego brat, the brother is the subject of that specific comparison. If you used swój, it would confusingly refer to the brother's own brother.
Why doesn't brat also take the instrumental case to match lekarzem?
The phrase podobnie jak jego brat is essentially a shortened version of "Just like his brother is". Because brat is the subject of that hidden, implied verb, it stays in the nominative (subject) case.
Can we drop the pronoun on since Polish usually drops subject pronouns?
Yes, you can absolutely drop it. Saying Podobnie jak jego brat, jest lekarzem is perfectly natural because the verb jest already shows the subject is a third-person singular. Including on here simply adds a bit of emphasis to "he".
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