Breakdown of Dyrektor jest przeciwny projektowi i wrogi pracownikom.
być
to be
i
and
pracownik
employee
projekt
project
dyrektor
director
przeciwny
opposed
wrogi
hostile
Questions & Answers about Dyrektor jest przeciwny projektowi i wrogi pracownikom.
Why are the nouns "projektowi" and "pracownikom" in the Dative case?
They are the targets of the adjectives przeciwny (opposed) and wrogi (hostile). In Polish, adjectives describing an attitude, allegiance, or behavior directed at someone or something typically force that target noun into the Dative case.
In English we say "opposed to" and "hostile to". Could I use the Polish preposition "do" here?
No, and this is a common trap for English speakers! Adjectives like przeciwny and wrogi govern the Dative case directly. Adding the preposition do (such as przeciwny do projektu) is grammatically incorrect. The English "to" is already expressed by the Dative case itself.
How do we know to use the "-owi" ending for "projektowi" instead of "-u"?
For masculine nouns in the singular Dative case, the standard ending is -owi. The -u ending is reserved for a small group of exceptions, mostly short, very common, or animate nouns (like ojcu, bratu, psu, panu). Since the inanimate noun projekt is not one of those exceptions, it takes the regular -owi.
Is "wrogi" acting as a noun or an adjective in this sentence?
It is an adjective meaning "hostile", modifying the singular subject dyrektor. It's easy to get confused because wrogi is also the Nominative plural form of the noun wróg (enemy). However, since it is paired with the adjective przeciwny after the verb jest, it is clearly functioning as a singular adjective here.
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