Breakdown of To niewiarygodne, że zbankrutowali!
to
this
że
that
zbankrutować
to go bankrupt
niewiarygodny
unbelievable (hard to believe)
Questions & Answers about To niewiarygodne, że zbankrutowali!
This lesson is about expressing surprise with czyżby. Could we use czyżby instead of To niewiarygodne, że to express this same shock?
Yes, but it changes the grammar into a question. Czyżby is used to form a question expressing strong doubt or surprise. You could say Czyżby zbankrutowali?! (Did they really go bankrupt?!). The phrase To niewiarygodne, że is a direct statement of disbelief, whereas czyżby turns that disbelief into a rhetorical question.
Why does the adjective niewiarygodne end in -e here?
What are the building blocks of the word niewiarygodne?
It breaks down into three distinct parts: nie- (un-/not), wiary (of faith/belief, the genitive of wiara), and godne (worthy). So it literally translates to 'not worthy of belief'.
The verb zbankrutowali is perfective. Would it make sense to use the imperfective bankrutowali in this sentence?
It would completely change the meaning. The perfective zbankrutowali means the bankruptcy is a completed event ('they went bankrupt'). If you used the imperfective bankrutowali, it would mean 'they were going bankrupt' (an ongoing process). Given the shock expressed in this sentence, the finality of the perfective fits perfectly.