Word
Nowy lek sprawił, że wysypka przestała swędzieć.
Meaning
The new medicine made the rash stop itching.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Nowy lek sprawił, że wysypka przestała swędzieć.
nowy
new
że
that
przestać
to stop
lek
medicine, drug (short form of lekarstwo)
Questions & Answers about Nowy lek sprawił, że wysypka przestała swędzieć.
How does the sprawił, że structure differ from the English phrase 'made the rash stop'?
In English, we use a causative verb plus an object and an infinitive (made the rash stop). In Polish, you cannot use an object and an infinitive here. You must use sprawić, że (to cause that) followed by a full subordinate clause with its own conjugated verb: że wysypka przestała (that the rash stopped).
Why is wysypka in the nominative case here? Doesn't the medicine act on it?
In the English translation, the rash is the object of the verb 'made'. However, because the Polish sentence uses the conjunction że to start a new clause, wysypka becomes the subject of that new clause. As the subject performing the action of stopping (przestała), it must take the nominative case.
Why are both sprawił and przestała in the perfective aspect?
Both describe completed, successful actions. The medicine achieved its effect (sprawił), and the stopping of the itch was a completed transition (przestała). If this were a general statement about what the medicine typically does over time, you would use the imperfective forms: sprawiał, że wysypka przestawała swędzieć.
Could I use a verb like zrobił instead of sprawił to mean 'made' in this sentence?