Word
Tę klawiaturę czyści się albo szybko, albo wcale.
Meaning
This keyboard is cleaned either quickly or not at all.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Tę klawiaturę czyści się albo szybko, albo wcale.
ten
this (m)
się
oneself
szybko
quickly
albo
or (everyday)
Questions & Answers about Tę klawiaturę czyści się albo szybko, albo wcale.
Why is it Tę klawiaturę (accusative) instead of Ta klawiatura (nominative) if it translates to a passive sentence?
Even though it translates to "This keyboard is cleaned" in English, the Polish się construction here is technically impersonal, meaning "one cleans this keyboard". Because an unstated "someone" is doing the cleaning, the keyboard is still the direct object receiving the action, so it must stay in the accusative case.
Does czyści się literally mean the keyboard cleans itself?
Not exactly. While się is the reflexive pronoun (oneself), using it with an inanimate object like a keyboard creates a middle or passive-like meaning. It focuses on how an action is performed on the object ("is cleaned" or "gets cleaned") without specifying who is doing the cleaning.
How does the albo... albo... structure work here?
Just like "either... or..." in English, you use albo twice to present two mutually exclusive options. In this sentence, those two options for cleaning the keyboard are szybko (quickly) or wcale (not at all).
Doesn't wcale usually need a negative word like nie? Why is it used alone here?