Breakdown of Jezioro zamarzło na tyle mocno, że można było po nim iść.
być
to be
ono
it (n)
iść
to go
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
jezioro
lake
że
that
można
one can, it is possible / allowed (+ infinitive)
po
along, on (a surface)
mocno
strongly
na tyle
enough (na tyle ..., że)
zamarznąć
to freeze
Questions & Answers about Jezioro zamarzło na tyle mocno, że można było po nim iść.
What is the difference between using na tyle ..., że ... as we see here, and tak ..., że ...?
Na tyle ..., że ... translates to 'enough that' or 'to such an extent that', implying a specific threshold was met (the ice reached the necessary thickness). If we used tak mocno, że (so hard that), it would emphasize the extreme degree of the freezing rather than simply meeting the condition for walking.
Why use the impersonal można było instead of a regular past tense verb like mogliśmy?
Why is the prepositional phrase po nim used here, and what case is it?
To express walking 'on' or 'over the surface of' something, Polish uses the preposition po followed by the locative case. Since jezioro (lake) is a neuter noun, its locative pronoun is nim.
Why is the imperfective verb iść used here instead of the perfective pójść?
Iść emphasizes the continuous action or the general experience of walking around on the ice. If we used the perfective pójść, it would focus on a single, completed trip from one point to another across the lake.
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