Learn Polish: Nie da się żyć bez wody. - One cannot live without water.

The phrase nie da się is a very common idiom meaning "it is impossible" or "it cannot be done." While the verb dać means "to give," adding the reflexive pronoun się changes the meaning to focus on possibility.

What is the difference between nie da się żyć and nie można żyć?

Both are impersonal ways to say "one cannot live," but they have different focuses. Nie można is often used for rules or permission (you are not allowed to), whereas nie da się is about physical or practical impossibility (it just cannot be done).

Why does the word for water change to wody in this sentence?

It changes because the preposition bez (without) always requires the following noun to be in the genitive case. For a feminine noun like woda, the genitive ending is -y, making it wody.

Can I use da się to talk about my own personal skills, like saying I can swim?

No, da się is always impersonal and just means "it can be done" or "it is possible" in general. If you want to say that you personally know how to do something, you should use verbs like umieć or potrafić.