Breakdown of Nie wiadomo jednoznacznie, czy ten świadek jest wiarygodny.
być
to be
nie
no / not
ten
this (m)
świadek
the witness
czy
whether / if (indirect question)
wiadomo
known / it is known (impersonal)
jednoznacznie
unambiguously / definitively
wiarygodny
reliable / credible (information, source)
Questions & Answers about Nie wiadomo jednoznacznie, czy ten świadek jest wiarygodny.
Why do we use nie wiadomo here instead of a regular verb like nie wiemy?
Nie wiadomo is an impersonal predicate. It does not mean a specific group of people does not know (like nie wiemy - we do not know), but rather that the information itself is generally unknown, unconfirmed, or unavailable. It is the natural way to express 'it is not known' or 'nobody knows' in Polish.
Why is czy used here to mean 'whether'? I thought it just started yes/no questions.
In Polish, czy serves multiple functions. Aside from starting direct yes/no questions, it acts as the conjunction 'whether' or 'if' to introduce indirect questions. You will frequently see it paired with nie wiadomo when the unknown fact has a yes/no outcome.
The adverb jednoznacznie looks like a compound word. What are its root parts?
It is made up of jedno (one) and the root for meaning or sign, seen in words like znaczyć (to mean). Literally, it translates to 'one-meaningly' or 'unambiguously', which is why it translates to 'definitively' or 'clearly' in this context.
How does the adjective wiarygodny break down to mean 'reliable'?
It is a combination of the noun wiara (faith or belief) and the adjective godny (worthy of). A wiarygodny witness or source is literally 'worthy of belief'.
Why is świadek jest wiarygodny in the nominative case, rather than using the instrumental case after jest?
When the verb być (to be) connects a noun to an adjective that describes it, you use the nominative case for both. The instrumental case is only required when być connects a noun to another noun (for example: On jest wiarygodnym świadkiem - He is a reliable witness).
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