Breakdown of Ona, podobnie jak matka, jest bardzo pracowita.
być
to be
ona
she / it (f)
bardzo
very
matka
the mother
pracowity
hardworking
podobnie jak
just like, similarly to
Questions & Answers about Ona, podobnie jak matka, jest bardzo pracowita.
Why use podobnie jak instead of just jak?
Both translate to "like", and using just jak (Ona, jak matka...) is perfectly fine. However, podobnie jak literally means "similarly as" and is a very common set phrase used to strongly emphasize a shared characteristic. It translates best to "just like" or "similarly to."
What case is matka here? Doesn't a preposition usually change the case of the noun?
Matka is in the nominative case (the basic dictionary form). Jak isn't a typical preposition that forces a specific case; it acts as a conjunction here. When comparing two things using jak, the second noun matches the case of the first. Because Ona is the subject (nominative), matka is also nominative.
Why doesn't the sentence say jej matka (her mother)?
In Polish, possessive pronouns like jej (her), mój (my), or twój (your) are frequently dropped when the context makes it obvious whose relative, item, or body part is being discussed. Adding jej wouldn't be wrong, but leaving it out sounds perfectly natural and less repetitive.
Why is pracowita in the nominative case? I thought words after jest (is) take the instrumental case.
This is a classic rule to remember: you only use the instrumental case after the verb być (to be) when the following word is a noun (for example: Ona jest świetną matką - She is a great mother). When you use an adjective all by itself to describe the subject, it stays in the nominative case, which is why we use pracowita here.
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