Breakdown of Przecież cieszyliśmy się z jego narodzin.
jego
his, its
z
from (+ Genitive)
cieszyć się
to be happy
przecież
after all / obviously
narodziny
birth
Questions & Answers about Przecież cieszyliśmy się z jego narodzin.
Why do we use the preposition z after cieszyliśmy się?
The verb cieszyć się (to be happy or glad) requires the preposition z followed by the Genitive case to express what you are happy about. In English you are happy 'about' or 'for' something, but in Polish you are happy 'out of' it.
What is the base form of narodzin and why does it look like a plural?
The base form is narodziny (birth). It is a 'pluralia tantum' noun, meaning it only exists in the plural form, just like 'scissors' or 'glasses' in English. Because it follows z, it takes the Genitive case. For many plural-only nouns, the Genitive plural drops the final vowel, turning narodziny into narodzin with a 'zero ending'.
Could we use the perfective verb ucieszyliśmy się here instead?
Yes, but it changes the nuance. The imperfective cieszyliśmy się emphasizes an ongoing state or attitude (we were happy about it). The perfective ucieszyliśmy się focuses on the moment the news arrived, meaning 'we became happy' or 'we rejoiced' at that specific point in time.
What nuance does the word przecież add to the beginning of this sentence?
Przecież is an emphatic particle meaning 'after all' or 'but'. Here, the speaker uses it to counter a previous statement or remind the listener of an obvious fact. It sets a defensive or reminding tone, as if saying 'Why are you acting like this is bad? After all, we were happy about it.'
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