Breakdown of W miarę jak nadchodzi lato, dni się wydłużają.
dzień
day
lato
summer
nadchodzić
to approach
w miarę jak
as / in proportion as
wydłużać się
to lengthen (to become longer, imperfective)
Questions & Answers about W miarę jak nadchodzi lato, dni się wydłużają.
Why do we use the verbs nadchodzi and wydłużają się here instead of their perfective equivalents?
The conjunction w miarę jak describes two simultaneous, gradual processes happening at the same time. Because it focuses on an ongoing change rather than a completed, one-time action, it strictly requires imperfective (continuous) verbs.
Can I drop jak and just say w miarę nadchodzi lato?
No, when you are introducing a new clause with a verb, you must use the full conjunction w miarę jak. If you just use w miarę, it acts as a preposition meaning "in proportion to" and must be followed by a noun in the genitive case, for example: w miarę możliwości (as far as possible).
Why is the word order nadchodzi lato instead of lato nadchodzi?
In Polish, word order is flexible, but it often shifts to put new or heavier information at the end of the clause. With verbs of motion, appearance, or the passing of time (like nadchodzi), it is very common and natural to put the verb before the subject. Saying lato nadchodzi is grammatically fine, but nadchodzi lato sounds much more poetic and natural here.
Why does the second clause use the reflexive pronoun się in dni się wydłużają?
The base verb wydłużać means "to lengthen" in the sense of physically making something else longer (like a tailor lengthening a dress). When the days are getting longer on their own, Polish uses the reflexive się to show this spontaneous change of state, literally meaning "the days lengthen themselves."
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