Breakdown of Pacjent krzyknął z bólu: co za męczarnia!
z
from (+ Genitive)
pacjent
the patient (m)
ból
pain
krzyknąć
to shout (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Pacjent krzyknął z bólu: co za męczarnia!
How does the phrase co za affect the case of the noun męczarnia?
The phrase co za translates to "what a" or "what" in exclamations. It is always followed by a noun in the nominative case, which is why we see the dictionary form męczarnia here. The word za acts as an exclamatory particle in this setup, not as a standard preposition, so it doesn't force the instrumental or accusative case.
Why is the preposition z used in the phrase z bólu?
When expressing a physical or emotional reaction caused by something, Polish uses the preposition z (meaning "from" or "out of") followed by the genitive case. While English says "in pain", Polish literally says "out of pain".
Could I use the imperfective verb krzyczał instead of krzyknął here?
You could, but it would change the meaning. The perfective krzyknął means the patient let out a single, sudden cry. If you used krzyczał, it would imply an ongoing action, meaning the patient was shouting continuously.
Why does the noun ból take an -u ending to become bólu?