Breakdown of Kiedy zarwaliśmy noc, pracowaliśmy całą dobę.
pracować
to work
kiedy
when
cały
whole, entire
noc
night
Questions & Answers about Kiedy zarwaliśmy noc, pracowaliśmy całą dobę.
Why is całą dobę in the accusative case here without a preposition?
To express how long an action lasts, Polish often uses the bare accusative case without any preposition. This is the accusative of continuous extent. You could also say przez całą dobę, but dropping przez is very natural and common when emphasizing the uninterrupted duration of an action.
What is the literal meaning of zarwaliśmy noc, and how is it used?
The verb zarwać literally means to break, strain, or collapse something. The set phrase zarwać noc means to sacrifice a night's sleep, which is the exact equivalent of the English idiom to pull an all-nighter.
Why use dobę instead of dzień in this sentence?
While dzień generally translates to day, it often implies just the daylight hours. Doba specifically means a full 24-hour period. By saying całą dobę, you emphasize that the work lasted a complete day and night cycle.
Why do we use the perfective zarwaliśmy but the imperfective pracowaliśmy?
Zarwaliśmy is perfective because pulling the all-nighter is presented as a single, completed fact that sets the context. Pracowaliśmy is imperfective because the act of working was an ongoing, continuous process that filled up that whole 24-hour period.