Breakdown of Pracownik patrzył w monitor przez godzinę.
pracownik
employee
godzina
hour; o'clock
przez
for (a period of time)
patrzeć
to look
w
into (direction, + Accusative)
monitor
monitor
Questions & Answers about Pracownik patrzył w monitor przez godzinę.
The current lesson focuses on the po- prefix. Could we use popatrzył here?
No, you must use the imperfective patrzył here. While popatrzył exists, it is perfective and means "looked for a short while" or "took a look." The phrase przez godzinę (for an hour) emphasizes a long, continuous duration, so the imperfective aspect is required. Additionally, the distributive po- meaning we are learning (doing an action to multiple objects sequentially) doesn't apply here since there is only one monitor.
Why does he look w monitor (in the monitor) rather than na monitor (at the monitor)?
Both are correct and take the accusative case, but there is a subtle difference in feel. Patrzeć na monitor is the standard "to look at the monitor." Patrzeć w monitor implies looking into the screen—often suggesting deep focus, being absorbed in the work, or staring blankly. Since the employee did this for an hour, w monitor emphasizes that continuous, fixed stare.
Could we drop przez and just say patrzył godzinę?
Yes, absolutely! In Polish, you can express "for [duration]" either with przez + accusative or just the accusative noun on its own. Patrzył przez godzinę and patrzył godzinę are completely interchangeable in everyday speech, though adding przez slightly emphasizes the continuous, uninterrupted stretch of time.
Why is it godzinę instead of godzina?
The base word for hour is godzina (feminine nominative). When expressing duration with the preposition przez, you must use the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, this means changing the ending to -ę, resulting in przez godzinę. Note that even if you drop przez, the duration itself still requires the accusative case, so it remains godzinę.
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