Breakdown of Rząd walczy z bezrobociem.
z
with
rząd
government (the cabinet)
walczyć
to fight (walczyć z + Instrumental: against)
bezrobocie
unemployment
Questions & Answers about Rząd walczy z bezrobociem.
Why do we need the preposition z here if the English translation is just "fighting unemployment"?
In Polish, the verb walczyć (to fight) cannot take a direct object. You must always fight "with" or "against" something using the preposition z followed by the Instrumental case.
Why does the word bezrobocie change to bezrobociem?
The preposition z requires the noun that follows it to be in the Instrumental case. Because bezrobocie is a neuter noun that ends in -e in its basic dictionary form, it takes the ending -em to become the Instrumental form bezrobociem.
Are there smaller parts inside the word bezrobocie that can help me remember what it means?
Yes! It is built from the prefix bez- (without) and the root robot- (from robota, meaning work). Put together as a neuter noun, it creates the concept of "unemployment" or literally "the state of being without work".
Could I use the word przeciwko (against) instead of z in this sentence?
While przeciwko does mean "against", the verb walczyć naturally pairs with z to mean fighting an issue, condition, or enemy. Saying walczyć przeciwko bezrobociu is understood but sounds much less natural to a native speaker than walczyć z bezrobociem.
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