Breakdown of Mam tylko jedną parę czarnych rajstop.
mieć
to have
czarny
black
tylko
only
jeden
one
para
pair
rajstopy
tights
Questions & Answers about Mam tylko jedną parę czarnych rajstop.
Why is it czarnych rajstop and not in the accusative case like jedną parę?
The word para (pair) acts as a measure word here. Just like in English where you say a pair of black tights, Polish requires the noun that follows para to be in the genitive case. Since rajstopy (tights) is a plural-only noun, it takes the genitive plural form czarnych rajstop.
The word for tights is rajstopy. Why is the genitive form just rajstop without a suffix like -ów?
Rajstopy is a plural-only noun (pluralia tantum) that declines like a feminine noun. In the genitive plural, feminine nouns often take a zero ending, meaning you simply drop the final vowel of the nominative form. So, rajstopy loses the -y and becomes rajstop.
Could I use a collective numeral here and say jedne rajstopy instead of jedną parę rajstop?
Yes, you can! Because rajstopy is a plural-only noun, you cannot use the standard number jedna. Instead, you use the special plural form of the number one: jedne. Saying Mam tylko jedne czarne rajstopy is perfectly natural and means the same thing, though jedną parę emphasizes the physical pair slightly more.
Why are we using jedną parę instead of jedna para?
The phrase is the direct object of the verb mieć (here conjugated as mam), which requires the accusative case. The nominative phrase jedna para changes to the accusative jedną parę.
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