Breakdown of Wiadomo, że ten przestępca kłamie, bo nie jest wiarygodny.
być
to be
nie
no / not
ten
this (m)
bo
because
że
that
kłamać
to lie (tell an untruth)
wiadomo
known / it is known (impersonal)
przestępca
the criminal
wiarygodny
reliable / credible (information, source)
Questions & Answers about Wiadomo, że ten przestępca kłamie, bo nie jest wiarygodny.
How does the word wiadomo function in this sentence without a subject like 'he' or 'we'?
Wiadomo is an impersonal predicate. It doesn't take a standard subject. Instead, it expresses a general state of knowledge, meaning 'it is known,' 'everyone knows,' or 'it is obvious.' Here, it pairs with the conjunction że (that) to introduce the fact that is widely known.
Would a Polish speaker ever say 'Wiemy, że...' (We know that...) instead of Wiadomo, że... here?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in focus. Wiemy specifically means 'we know' (referring to a certain group of people), whereas wiadomo implies objective, universal, or public knowledge ('it is a known fact').
The word przestępca ends in '-a'. Why is it modified by the masculine word ten?
Even though przestępca (criminal) ends in '-a', which is typical for feminine nouns, it refers to a male person. Therefore, it is a masculine personal noun and takes masculine modifiers like ten. You can also see this in the second clause, where the implied subject of the masculine adjective wiarygodny is 'he'.
Is there a trick to remembering the meaning of wiarygodny?
Yes, it is a compound word. It comes from wiara (faith or belief) and godny (worthy). So, if the criminal is not wiarygodny, he is literally not 'worthy of belief'—meaning he is not credible or reliable.
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