Breakdown of Ten korytarz był nieodkryty przez turystów.
być
to be
ten
this (m)
turysta
tourist
korytarz
corridor
przez
by (agent of a passive verb)
nieodkryty
undiscovered
Questions & Answers about Ten korytarz był nieodkryty przez turystów.
Why is nieodkryty written as a single word instead of two?
The word nieodkryty combines the negative prefix nie- with the passive participle odkryty (discovered). When a participle is used as an adjective to describe an established state or quality (meaning 'undiscovered'), the negation is written together as a single word.
What is the difference between był nieodkryty and nie został odkryty?
Nie został odkryty is a standard passive voice construction focusing on an event that failed to happen ('was not discovered'). By combining był with nieodkryty, the sentence treats the participle as an adjective of state. It emphasizes the ongoing condition of the corridor.
Why does przez appear to take the genitive form turystów here?
It is actually the accusative case! The preposition przez always requires the accusative case, including when introducing the 'doer' in passive-style sentences. Because turysta is a masculine personal noun, its accusative plural form is identical to its genitive plural form.
Which verb does odkryty come from, and why does its aspect matter?
It is derived from the perfective verb odkryć (to discover). When deriving adjectives of state from passive participles, we typically use perfective verbs because they perfectly describe a lingering condition that exists after an action has been completely finished.
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