Breakdown of W miarę jak dni się skracają, mamy mniej czasu.
mieć
to have
czas
time
dzień
day
mniej
less
w miarę jak
as / in proportion as
skracać się
to shorten (to become shorter, imperfective)
Questions & Answers about W miarę jak dni się skracają, mamy mniej czasu.
Why do we use the imperfective verb skracają here instead of a perfective form?
The phrase w miarę jak translates to "as" or "in proportion as" and describes a gradual, ongoing process. Because the action is continuous, it must be paired with an imperfective verb. Using a perfective verb here wouldn't make sense because it implies a single, completed action rather than a gradual change.
Does w miarę jak mean the exact same thing as just using jak or kiedy?
Not quite. While jak or kiedy mean "when" in a general sense, w miarę jak specifically highlights that two things are changing at the same time, in proportion to each other. It emphasizes the gradual nature of the days getting shorter leading to having less time.
Why is there a się in dni się skracają?
The base verb skracać means "to shorten [something else]", like shortening a pair of pants. To say that the days themselves are becoming shorter, we use the reflexive pronoun się. It essentially translates to "the days shorten themselves."
Why is it mniej czasu instead of mniej czas?
In Polish, words that express a quantity or amount, like mniej (less), więcej (more), or dużo (a lot), force the noun that follows into the genitive case. Therefore, the nominative czas changes to the genitive czasu.
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