Breakdown of Doleję wrzątku do twojej filiżanki.
twój
your
do
to
filiżanka
cup
dolać
to add liquid
wrzątek
boiling water
Questions & Answers about Doleję wrzątku do twojej filiżanki.
Why is wrzątek in the genitive case (wrzątku) here instead of the accusative?
This is the Partitive Genitive, the main focus of this lesson. When using verbs that describe adding an unquantified amount of a substance (especially liquids or powders), Polish uses the genitive case instead of the accusative. It translates essentially to adding some boiling water.
What does the prefix do- add to the meaning of the base verb lać in doleję?
The base verb lać simply means to pour. Adding the prefix do- creates dolać, which means to pour more, to add a liquid, or to top up. It implies that there is already a drink in the cup and you are adding to it.
We see two genitive phrases in this sentence: wrzątku and twojej filiżanki. Are they triggered by the same rule?
No, they take the genitive for completely different reasons. The word wrzątku uses the Partitive Genitive because it is the object of the verb doleję. The phrase twojej filiżanki is in the genitive simply because it follows the preposition do (to/into), which always requires the genitive case.
Is wrzątek the only way to say boiling water?
While you could technically say gotująca się woda (water that is boiling), Polish uses the dedicated noun wrzątek almost exclusively in everyday situations. It comes from the verb wrzeć (to boil) and is the standard word to use when pouring water from a kettle.
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