Breakdown of Przemoc w rodzinie to poważny problem.
w
in / on (a day)
rodzina
the family
to
is (linking copula)
problem
problem
poważny
serious
przemoc
violence
Questions & Answers about Przemoc w rodzinie to poważny problem.
Why do we use to here instead of jest?
When linking two nouns in a basic 'A is B' sentence, Polish often uses to. When using to, both nouns stay in the Nominative (dictionary) case, as seen here with przemoc and problem. If you used jest, you would have to change the second part to the Instrumental case: Przemoc w rodzinie jest poważnym problemem.
Why is the phrase for 'domestic violence' constructed literally as 'violence in the family'?
Unlike English, which uses the adjective 'domestic', Polish uses a descriptive prepositional phrase to express this idea. The term przemoc w rodzinie is the fixed, standard expression used for 'domestic violence' in Polish.
Why does rodzina change to rodzinie?
The preposition w (in) requires the Locative case when describing where a situation exists or happens. The feminine noun rodzina (family) takes the -ie ending in the Locative case, becoming rodzinie.
What case is poważny problem in?
It is in the Nominative case (the basic dictionary form). Because the sentence uses the linking word to, the descriptive noun phrase that follows it does not change its case. Since problem is a masculine noun, the adjective takes the standard masculine Nominative ending, resulting in poważny.
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