Breakdown of Był krytykowany za sprzeciw wobec nowego prawa.
być
to be
nowy
new
za
behind; in (time)
krytykować
to criticize
wobec
towards
sprzeciw
opposition
prawo
law
Questions & Answers about Był krytykowany za sprzeciw wobec nowego prawa.
Why do we use wobec after sprzeciw instead of a preposition that translates directly to "against"?
The abstract noun sprzeciw (opposition) specifically governs the preposition wobec (towards/in the face of) followed by the genitive case. While przeciwko (against) might seem like a more logical translation for English speakers, sprzeciw wobec is the standard, natural collocation in Polish for expressing opposition to a rule, concept, or situation.
What case is nowego prawa and what triggers it?
It is in the genitive case. The preposition wobec always requires the genitive case. Here, the neuter noun prawo (law) becomes prawa, and its modifying adjective nowe becomes nowego.
Why is sprzeciw in the accusative case here, and why doesn't its ending change?
The preposition za takes the accusative case when it means "for" a reason or action (he was criticized for his opposition). Because sprzeciw is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form.
Why does the sentence use był krytykowany instead of został skrytykowany?
Był krytykowany is the imperfective passive voice, which emphasizes that the criticism was an ongoing process, a repeated action, or a state over a period of time. Using został skrytykowany (perfective) would mean he was criticized just once as a single, completed event.
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