Breakdown of Oby nasza niewiedza nie była problemem!
być
to be
nie
no / not
nasz
our
problem
problem
oby
hopefully / if only
niewiedza
ignorance
Questions & Answers about Oby nasza niewiedza nie była problemem!
Why is niewiedza written as one word, but nie była as two words?
The particle nie is written together with nouns to form a new concept, so nie + wiedza (knowledge) becomes niewiedza (ignorance). However, nie is always written separately from verbs, which is why nie była (was not) is two words.
Is there ever a case where we would write nie wiedza as two separate words?
Yes, but only if you are making a direct contrast rather than expressing a single concept. For example, if you wanted to say "not knowledge, but luck", you would write nie wiedza, a szczęście. Because this sentence just means "ignorance", it must be spelled together as niewiedza.
Why does oby take the past tense verb była when referring to a general or future situation?
The word oby is a particle used to express a strong wish or hope (like "May..." or "If only..."). In Polish, it is almost always followed by a verb in the past tense (like była), even though the wish applies to the present or future. It is similar to how English uses the past tense for wishes, as in "If only it were true."
Just a quick refresher: why is problem in the Instrumental case (problemem) here?
The verb być (to be) connects a subject to a noun that defines or categorizes it. In these "A is B" sentences, the defining noun (B) must take the Instrumental case. So the nominative problem becomes problemem.
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