Breakdown of Psycholog prosi, żebyśmy na sesji słuchali jeden drugiego.
prosić
to ask
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
jeden
one
drugi
second / the other (in 'one another')
słuchać
to listen
żeby
so that, in order to
psycholog
psychologist
sesja
session
Questions & Answers about Psycholog prosi, żebyśmy na sesji słuchali jeden drugiego.
Why is the second word in the reciprocal phrase drugiego and not some other case?
The verb słuchać (to listen) requires its object to be in the genitive case. Because of this rule, the second part of the reciprocal phrase takes the genitive form, becoming drugiego.
Could we use nawzajem instead of jeden drugiego here?
How would this sentence change if it was an all-female therapy group?
The verb would change to the non-masculine-personal form (słuchały), and the reciprocal phrase would change to the feminine forms: jedna drugiej. The clause would be: ...żebyśmy na sesji słuchały jedna drugiej. For a mixed-gender group, you stick to the masculine forms seen in the original sentence.
Why is słuchali in the past tense if the psychologist is asking them to do this now or in the future?
The conjunction żeby (that / in order to) always triggers the past tense form of the verb that follows it, regardless of when the action actually happens. Together with the personal ending -śmy attached to the conjunction, it forms żebyśmy ... słuchali (that we listen).
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