Breakdown of Kałuża była za duża, żeby ją przeskoczyć z plecakiem.
być
to be
ona
she / it (f)
duży
big
z
with
plecak
backpack
żeby
so that, in order to
za
too (excessively)
kałuża
puddle
przeskoczyć
to jump over
Questions & Answers about Kałuża była za duża, żeby ją przeskoczyć z plecakiem.
Why do we use żeby here instead of just the infinitive like in the English 'too big to jump'?
In Polish, result clauses of excess (meaning something is 'too [adjective] to do something') require a conjunction like żeby, aby, or by to connect the clauses. You cannot attach an infinitive directly to the adjective. The Polish structure literally translates to 'too big in order to jump over it'.
Why is the pronoun ją necessary before przeskoczyć?
In English, we can just say 'too big to jump over', leaving the object out because it is understood from the first half of the sentence. Polish requires the subordinate clause to be grammatically complete. Since przeskoczyć is a transitive verb, it needs a direct object. Ją is the accusative form of ona, referring back to the feminine noun kałuża (puddle).
What does the prefix prze- add to the verb skoczyć?
The base verb skoczyć simply means 'to jump'. Adding the prefix prze- gives the verb a spatial meaning of crossing an obstacle or moving from one side to another. Therefore, przeskoczyć specifically means 'to jump over' or 'to clear' an obstacle.
Could I use zbyt duża instead of za duża in this sentence?
Yes, za and zbyt are completely interchangeable here and both require the same żeby structure. Za duża is slightly more colloquial and very common in everyday speech, while zbyt duża can sound just a tiny bit more formal.
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