Breakdown of Często panikujemy wbrew swojej woli.
często
often
swój
one's own
wbrew
contrary to / against (expectations, will)
panikować
to panic
wola
will
Questions & Answers about Często panikujemy wbrew swojej woli.
Why do we use the form woli instead of the dictionary form wola?
The preposition wbrew (meaning contrary to or against) always requires the following noun to be in the dative case. Therefore, the feminine noun wola (will) changes its ending to become woli.
Since the subject is 'we', why does the sentence use swojej rather than naszej?
In Polish, when the object belongs to the subject of the sentence, it is much more natural to use the reflexive possessive pronoun swój (which becomes swojej here) rather than a specific pronoun like nasz. Because 'we' are the ones panicking, it is 'our own' will.
Does the possessive pronoun swojej also have to be in the dative case here?
Yes. Adjectives and pronouns must agree with the noun they describe. Since wbrew forces woli into the dative case, the pronoun swoja must also take its dative feminine form, which is swojej.
Could I move wbrew swojej woli to the front of the sentence?
Absolutely. You could say Wbrew swojej woli często panikujemy. Putting the phrase at the beginning simply places slightly more emphasis on the fact that the panic is completely involuntary.
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