Questions & Answers about Aktorka zwichnęła sobie bark.
Why do we use sobie here instead of a possessive pronoun like swój (her own)?
This is a classic example of the dative of inalienable possession. When referring to things closely attached to a person, like body parts, Polish usually avoids possessive pronouns like swój or jej (her). Instead, it uses a dative pronoun to show who is affected by the action. Here, sobie (to herself) efficiently shows that the shoulder belongs to the actress and she is the one experiencing the detriment.
Could we omit sobie and just say Aktorka zwichnęła bark?
Yes, you can omit it, and the meaning remains clear. However, including sobie adds a layer of personal detriment, emphasizing that she did this to herself (accidentally) and is suffering the painful consequences. Using the dative pronoun here makes the sentence sound much more natural and conversational to a native speaker.
I usually see ramię used for shoulder or arm. Why use bark here?
While both translate to shoulder, they refer to slightly different parts of the anatomy. Bark specifically refers to the shoulder joint and the very top of the shoulder (where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade). Ramię is a broader term that can mean the shoulder, the upper arm, or the entire arm. Since spraining (zwichnąć) specifically affects a joint, bark is the precise and expected word here.
What case is bark in this sentence, and why doesn't its ending change?