Breakdown of Potrzebuję kombinerek, żeby wyciągnąć ten gwóźdź.
ten
this (m)
żeby
so that, in order to
potrzebować
to need
wyciągnąć
to pull out (pf)
kombinerki
pliers
gwóźdź
nail
Questions & Answers about Potrzebuję kombinerek, żeby wyciągnąć ten gwóźdź.
Why is it kombinerek and not kombinerki here?
The verb potrzebować (to need) requires its object to be in the Genitive case. The word kombinerki (pliers) only exists in the plural form, and its Genitive plural form is kombinerek.
Why isn't ten gwóźdź in the Accusative case, since it is the direct object of the verb?
It actually is in the Accusative! However, gwóźdź (nail) is a masculine inanimate noun. For these nouns, the Accusative form is identical to the Nominative form.
Why do we use żeby with the infinitive wyciągnąć here?
When the subject of the main clause and the subordinate clause is the same (I need the pliers, and I will be the one pulling the nail), żeby is followed by the infinitive. If someone else were pulling it out, you would use a past tense ending on the conjunction, like żebyś wyciągnął (so that you pull it out).
How would I say 'this nail, that I hammered in' using the informal co structure from the current lesson?
You would say ten gwóźdź, co go wbiłem. In informal spoken Polish, co replaces the formal który, but you must add the pronoun go (it) to show the nail's grammatical role as the direct object in that clause.
Learn Potrzebuję kombinerek, żeby wyciągnąć ten gwóźdź and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free