Breakdown of Wszyscy złożyliśmy się po dwa banknoty na prezent.
wszyscy
everyone / all (the)
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
dwa
two
prezent
gift
po
each (distributive)
złożyć się
to chip in
banknot
banknote
Questions & Answers about Wszyscy złożyliśmy się po dwa banknoty na prezent.
Why is po followed by the Accusative dwa banknoty instead of the Locative case here?
Normally, the preposition po takes the Locative case. However, when po is used to mean 'each' (its distributive meaning) and is followed by the number 2 or higher, it requires the Accusative case. Here, dwa banknoty is in the Accusative to mean 'two banknotes each'.
Does po always take the Accusative when it means 'each'?
Only for numbers 2 and above! If the number is exactly 1, you must use the Locative case instead, for example: po jednym banknocie. It is a unique rule where the grammatical case changes depending on the specific number.
The word wszyscy usually means 'everyone' (3rd person). Why does the verb złożyliśmy have a 1st-person plural 'we' ending?
In Polish, you can combine wszyscy (all) directly with a 1st-person verb to mean 'we all'. You do not need to explicitly say my wszyscy, because the -śmy ending on złożyliśmy się already makes it perfectly clear that 'we' are the ones chipping in.
What case does the preposition na take in the phrase na prezent?
It takes the Accusative case here. While na requires the Locative when describing a static location, it takes the Accusative when it expresses a purpose or destination. The idiom złożyć się na coś means 'to chip in for something', so the masculine inanimate noun prezent is in the Accusative.
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