Breakdown of Przez twoją nieuwagę zrujnowaliśmy całą kolację!
twój
your
kolacja
the supper / dinner (evening meal)
cały
whole, entire
przez
because of
Questions & Answers about Przez twoją nieuwagę zrujnowaliśmy całą kolację!
Why do we use 'przez' here to mean 'because of' instead of 'z powodu'?
In Polish, przez is specifically used to express a negative cause or fault, similar to saying 'due to' or 'because of' when placing blame. While z powodu is a more neutral 'because of', using przez clearly points the finger at twoją nieuwagę (your inattention) as the culprit for the ruined dinner.
What case follows the preposition 'przez' in this structure?
It takes the Accusative case. So, the nominative twoja nieuwaga (your inattention) becomes twoją nieuwagę. The preposition przez always requires the Accusative, whether it means physical movement ('through a park') or, as in this sentence, introducing a fault or negative cause.
How is the word 'nieuwaga' formed, and can I do this with other nouns?
Nieuwaga is formed by adding the negative prefix nie- directly to the noun uwaga (attention/care), creating the meaning 'inattention' or 'carelessness'. You can do this with many abstract nouns in Polish to create their opposites, such as nieporozumienie (misunderstanding) or nieszczęście (misfortune). Notice that nie is written as one word with nouns.
Why is 'całą kolację' also in the Accusative case? Is it still being affected by 'przez'?