Log inSign up

Wydawało mi się, że burza przeszła, ale nagle porwało nam jacht.

Wydawało mi się, że burza przeszła, ale nagle porwało nam jacht.
It seemed to me that the storm had passed, but suddenly it swept our yacht away.
From Lesson 453:Impersonal past for uncontrollable events·Polish

Breakdown of Wydawało mi się, że burza przeszła, ale nagle porwało nam jacht.

ja
I
ale
but
my
we
że
that
nagle
suddenly
burza
storm
przejść
to cross
jacht
yacht
wydawać się
to seem
porwać
to sweep away

Questions & Answers about Wydawało mi się, że burza przeszła, ale nagle porwało nam jacht.

Why is the verb porwało in the neuter form if there is no neuter subject?
This is a special impersonal construction used for uncontrollable events, natural forces, or accidents. Instead of saying the wind or the storm swept the yacht away, Polish uses the 3rd-person singular neuter past form (porwało) without a specific subject to express that some unseen force did it.
Why do we use the dative pronoun nam instead of the possessive nasz for 'our yacht'?
In Polish, it is very common to use the dative case to show who is affected by an action. Here, nam (to us) acts as an experiencer. Saying porwało nam jacht essentially means 'it swept the yacht away on us,' which sounds much more natural for unexpected mishaps than using the possessive pronoun nasz.
Doesn't the verb porwać usually mean 'to kidnap'?
Yes, it means 'to kidnap' when talking about people, but its broader meaning is 'to snatch', 'to sweep away', or 'to tear'. When used with natural forces like wind or water, it describes an object being carried off violently.
Is wydawało mi się also an example of an uncontrollable event using the neuter form?
It is an impersonal neuter construction, but rather than a physical force, it describes an involuntary mental perception. Just like porwało nam, it takes a Dative experiencer (mi - to me) and uses the 3rd-person neuter past (wydawało się) to mean 'it seemed'.

Learn Wydawało mi się, że burza przeszła, ale nagle porwało nam jacht and more in Polish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Polish →