Question 1

Why is it Tę klawiaturę (accusative) instead of Ta klawiatura (nominative) if it translates to a passive sentence?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Does czyści się literally mean the keyboard cleans itself?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

How does the albo... albo... structure work here?

Accepted Answer

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).

Question 4

Doesn't wcale usually need a negative word like nie? Why is it used alone here?

Accepted Answer

You are right that wcale usually pairs with a negated verb to mean "not at all" (for example, wcale tego nie czyści). However, in short contrasting fragments like albo wcale (or not at all), the negative meaning is already understood as a set phrase, so you do not need to add nie.

Tę klawiaturę czyści się albo szybko, albo wcale.

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