Breakdown of W Polsce mieszka coraz więcej cudzoziemców.
mieszkać
to live
w
in / on (a day)
Polska
Poland
więcej
more
coraz
more and more
cudzoziemiec
foreigner (formal; = obcokrajowiec)
Questions & Answers about W Polsce mieszka coraz więcej cudzoziemców.
Why is the verb mieszka in the singular when the sentence is about multiple foreigners?
In Polish, when the subject is a quantity word like więcej (more), dużo (a lot), or a number from five upwards, the verb takes the third-person singular form. Even though we are talking about many people, the grammatical subject is the word więcej, which acts like a single block, forcing the verb to be singular.
Why is the word for foreigners in the form cudzoziemców?
It is in the genitive plural case. Quantity words that express an amount, like więcej (more) or mało (little/few), require the noun following them to be in the genitive case. Since there are many foreigners, we use the plural. The dictionary form is cudzoziemiec, and its genitive plural is cudzoziemców.
What exactly does the word coraz add to this sentence?
Coraz is used to show that a state or action is progressively changing over time. When combined with a comparative word like więcej (more), it means "more and more". If you just said więcej cudzoziemców, it would simply mean "more foreigners", but coraz więcej emphasizes a continuous, growing trend.
The word cudzoziemców looks long and complicated. Is there a trick to remembering it?
Yes! The base word cudzoziemiec (foreigner) is a compound made of two simpler Polish words. It comes from cudzy (someone else's) and ziemia (land or earth). So, a cudzoziemiec is literally a person from someone else's land.
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