Breakdown of Pewnego popołudnia zapaliła świecę, ponieważ wyblakły atrament był niewidoczny.
być
to be
popołudnie
afternoon
zapalić
to light
ponieważ
because (formal)
niewidoczny
invisible
pewien
a certain, one
wyblakły
faded
świeca
candle
atrament
ink
Questions & Answers about Pewnego popołudnia zapaliła świecę, ponieważ wyblakły atrament był niewidoczny.
Why is pewnego popołudnia in the Genitive case instead of using a preposition like w?
This is the bare Genitive of time, used to set the scene for a narrative. It translates to 'one afternoon' or 'a certain afternoon'. Polish uses the Genitive without a preposition to point to a specific, unique occasion when an event happened, usually in storytelling.
Why use pewnego instead of jednego if the English translation is 'one afternoon'?
In Polish storytelling, setting the scene with 'one [time of day]' is done using pewnego (a certain). If you used jednego popołudnia, it would sound like you are emphasizing the quantity, meaning 'during a single afternoon' rather than 'on a certain afternoon'.
Is wyblakły an adjective or a past tense verb here?
It acts as an adjective here meaning 'faded', though it is directly based on the past tense of the perfective verb wyblaknąć (to fade). Polish frequently uses these forms to describe a state that is the result of a completed action.
Could I use niewidzialny instead of niewidoczny for 'invisible'?
Not naturally in this context. Niewidoczny means something cannot be seen right now because of external conditions, like being too faded or hidden in the dark. Niewidzialny describes something that is inherently invisible by its very nature, like a ghost or a magical cloak.
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