Breakdown of Dobry trener uczy zawodników nowej strategii.
nowy
new
dobry
good
strategia
the strategy
zawodnik
player (m)
uczyć
to teach (uczyć kogoś czegoś)
trener
coach
Questions & Answers about Dobry trener uczy zawodników nowej strategii.
Why is nowej strategii in the Genitive case instead of the Accusative like a normal direct object?
The verb uczyć (to teach) requires a specific double-object pattern: the person being taught takes the Accusative, while the subject or skill being taught takes the Genitive. Since the new strategy is the subject being taught, nowa strategia changes to the Genitive nowej strategii.
Is zawodników in the Accusative or Genitive case here?
It is in the Accusative case, matching the rule that the person being taught takes the Accusative. However, because zawodnik is a masculine personal noun, its plural Accusative form is identical to its plural Genitive form (zawodników).
Why does strategii end with a double -ii?
Feminine nouns of foreign origin that end in -ia in the Nominative (like strategia or historia) take a double -ii in the Genitive, Dative, and Locative singular.
Could we use the perfective form nauczy instead of uczy here?
Yes, but it would change the meaning and the tense. Uczy is imperfective and means the coach is currently teaching or regularly teaches them. Nauczy is perfective, so its present-tense form actually refers to the future: it would mean the coach will successfully teach them the new strategy.
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