Breakdown of Chór, który tu śpiewa, jest manipulowany przez reżysera.
być
to be
tu
here
śpiewać
to sing
który
which, who (relative)
reżyser
director (film, theater)
przez
by (agent of a passive verb)
chór
choir
manipulować
to manipulate
Questions & Answers about Chór, który tu śpiewa, jest manipulowany przez reżysera.
How does the passive voice work here with the verb manipulować, given that it normally takes the Instrumental case?
In the active voice, manipulować requires the Instrumental case as its object (for example, Reżyser manipuluje chórem). However, just like with Accusative verbs, when we form the passive voice, that object is promoted to become the Nominative subject of the sentence. So, the Instrumental chórem becomes the Nominative chór in the passive sentence Chór jest manipulowany.
Why do we use jest manipulowany instead of using the auxiliary verb zostać?
Manipulować is an imperfective verb, meaning it describes an ongoing action or process. To form the passive voice of imperfective verbs, Polish uses the verb być (here, jest) plus the passive participle. The auxiliary verb zostać is strictly reserved for perfective verbs to emphasize a completed action.
How do we express "by the director" in Polish passive sentences?
To express the agent of an action in a passive sentence (the "by someone"), Polish uses the preposition przez followed by the Accusative case. Here, the Accusative form of the masculine animate noun reżyser is reżysera.
Is reżyser the general word for any kind of director?
No, reżyser specifically refers to an artistic director, such as a film, theater, or musical director. If you were talking about a corporate, school, or administrative director, you would use the word dyrektor.
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