Question 1

Why do we use the past tense była here when we are talking about the frog right now?

Accepted Answer

After tak jakby (as if), Polish uses the past tense to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the present. Just like the English subjunctive 'as if it were', using była shows we are comparing the frog to something it might not actually be.

Question 2

Could I use the conditional byłaby instead of the past tense była after tak jakby?

Accepted Answer

You might hear people say tak jakby byłaby, but it is generally considered redundant. The word jakby already contains the conditional particle by, so simply following it with the past tense była is the most natural and correct way to express this.

Question 3

Is there a difference in meaning between tak jakby and just jakby?

Accepted Answer

They mean exactly the same thing here and are completely interchangeable. Adding tak before jakby just provides a slightly better rhythm or a tiny bit of emphasis to the comparison.

Question 4

Why is the adjective trująca in the nominative case rather than the instrumental case after a form of być (to be)?

Accepted Answer

When the predicate following a form of być is a standalone adjective, it takes the nominative case. You only use the instrumental case if a noun is included in that predicate, such as tak jakby była trującą żabą (as if it were a poisonous frog).

Ta mała żaba ma jasne kolory, tak jakby była trująca.

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