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Mój ojciec i matka wznieśli toast za zdrowie.

Mój ojciec i matka wznieśli toast za zdrowie.
My father and mother raised a toast to health.
From Lesson 410:Mixed-gender subject agreement·Polish

Questions & Answers about Mój ojciec i matka wznieśli toast za zdrowie.

Why is the verb wznieśli in the masculine personal (virile) form when one of the subjects is matka?
When a subject consists of multiple people and at least one of them is male (here, ojciec), Polish grammar requires the masculine personal (virile) plural. Because of this rule, the verb takes the masculine personal past tense ending -li instead of the non-masculine -ły.
Why does the sentence use the singular mój instead of the plural moi since it refers to two people?
When an adjective or pronoun applies to a list of nouns joined by i, it typically agrees with the closest one. Since ojciec is masculine singular, we use mój. If the order were reversed, it would be moja matka i ojciec.
Why do we use the preposition za to say we are toasting to health?
In Polish, the set phrase for drinking or toasting to something is wznieść toast za (or pić za), followed by the accusative case. Since zdrowie (health) is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its dictionary (nominative) form.
Is the verb wznieść used exclusively for toasts?
No, wznieść (to raise or erect) is a versatile perfective verb. While wznieść toast is the standard phrase for raising a toast, you can also use this verb for raising a building (wznieść budynek) or letting out a shout (wznieść okrzyk).

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