Question 1

I thought mimo always requires the Genitive case. Why does this sentence use mimo to instead of mimo tego?

Accepted Answer

This is the exact exception for this lesson! While mimo and pomimo (despite) usually require the Genitive case, they take the Accusative case when followed by the pronouns to or wszystko. Therefore, we say mimo to (despite this) and mimo wszystko (despite everything).

Question 2

Is the pronoun go in the Accusative or Genitive case here?

Accepted Answer

It is in the Genitive case, because of the rule of negation. The verb pruć (to unravel) normally takes a direct object in the Accusative. But since the verb is negated (nie pruję), the object case switches to Genitive. The pronoun go refers back to the masculine noun sweter.

Question 3

What is the infinitive of pruję, and how else is it used?

Accepted Answer

The infinitive is pruć. It primarily means to rip, undo, or unravel stitches, seams, or knitted fabrics. In colloquial Polish, you might also hear it used to describe someone driving very fast, similar to tearing down the road in English.

Question 4

Why is the pronoun go placed before nie pruję rather than after it?

Accepted Answer

While nie pruję go is grammatically correct, placing a short, unstressed pronoun like go at the very end of a sentence is often avoided in Polish. Putting it before the negated verb gives the sentence a much more natural rhythm.

Sweter jest nierówny, ale mimo to go nie pruję.

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