Question 1

How could I use the causative sprawiać, że from this lesson to say 'The rash makes the patient have nausea'?

Accepted Answer

You would say Wysypka sprawia, że pacjent ma nudności. Remember that in Polish, we do not use an infinitive structure like 'makes the patient have'. Instead, we use sprawiać, że (literally 'to cause that') followed by a fully conjugated subordinate clause.

Question 2

Why is a used here for 'and' instead of i?

Accepted Answer

The conjunction a is used because there is a shift in focus between the two clauses. The first part is about the rash (wysypka), and the second introduces a new subject, the patient (pacjent). While i simply links similar items, a highlights a transition to a different subject or a slight contrast, often translating to 'and' or 'while'.

Question 3

The word swędzi means 'itches', but can I use it to say 'I am itching'?

Accepted Answer

Not as the subject. The verb swędzieć (to itch) requires the thing that is itchy to be the subject of the sentence. So, instead of saying 'I am itching', you specify what itches. If you want to say 'It itches me', you use the accusative pronoun for 'me': swędzi mnie. In this sentence, the rash (wysypka) is the subject doing the itching.

Question 4

Is nudności a plural word?

Accepted Answer

Yes, nudności (nausea) is a plural-only noun in Polish. Even though 'nausea' is a singular concept in English, in Polish a patient always has 'nauseas' (ma nudności). Since the verb mieć takes the accusative case, the form nudności here is technically accusative, which looks identical to its nominative plural form.

Wysypka bardzo swędzi, a pacjent ma nudności.

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