Breakdown of Nie uwierzyli w ową rzekomą legendę.
nie
no / not
uwierzyć
to believe (perfective)
w
into (direction, + Accusative)
ów
that aforementioned (m) / owa / owe
Questions & Answers about Nie uwierzyli w ową rzekomą legendę.
Why use ową here instead of just tę?
The pronoun ów (feminine owa) is a formal, literary word meaning 'that' or 'that aforementioned.' While you could say w tę rzekomą legendę in everyday speech, using ową adds a formal, storytelling, or slightly archaic flavor, emphasizing that this is the specific legend we were just talking about.
Why are the words ową rzekomą legendę in the accusative case?
The verb uwierzyć (to believe) pairs with the preposition w to mean 'believe in.' When w is used to mean 'believing in' something, it requires the accusative case. Since legenda is a feminine noun, its accusative form is legendę, and its modifying adjectives and pronouns take the feminine accusative ending -ą (giving us ową and rzekomą).
What does the word rzekomą add to the sentence?
The adjective rzekomy means 'alleged,' 'supposed,' or 'so-called.' At the B2 level, this is a great vocabulary word to recognize when someone is expressing doubt about the authenticity of a story or claim. Here, it shows that the speaker (or the subjects of the sentence) doubts the legend is actually real.
Why does the verb end in -li (uwierzyli) instead of -ły (uwierzyły)?