Breakdown of Warto kupić ten atlas, byle opisywał dobre zioła.
ten
this (m)
dobry
good
kupić
to buy (perfective)
warto
it is worth (warto + infinitive)
opisywać
to describe
byle
provided that / as long as (if only)
atlas
field guide
zioło
herb
Questions & Answers about Warto kupić ten atlas, byle opisywał dobre zioła.
Why is the verb opisywał in the past tense if the sentence refers to the present or future?
Just like the word żeby, the conjunction byle requires the verb that follows it to be in the past tense form. Together, they create a conditional meaning. So byle opisywał translates to 'provided it describes' or 'as long as it describes', not 'as long as it described'.
The English translation says 'field guide', but the Polish word is atlas. Is that right?
Yes! In English, an atlas is almost always a book of maps. In Polish, atlas is also commonly used for heavily illustrated reference books about nature, such as an atlas grzybów (mushroom field guide) or atlas ptaków (bird guide).
Could I just use jeśli (if) instead of byle here?
You could say jeśli opisuje dobre zioła, but it changes the tone. Jeśli is a neutral 'if'. Using byle emphasizes a minimal requirement, meaning 'as long as it does this one thing, I do not care about the rest'. Also, note that jeśli takes the present tense (opisuje), while byle requires the past tense form (opisywał).
Why is it ten atlas? Doesn't the verb kupić require the accusative case?
It does require the accusative case! However, atlas is a masculine inanimate noun. For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative form is identical to the nominative (dictionary) form. Therefore, ten atlas stays exactly the same.
Why is there no subject pronoun before warto kupić?
The word warto (it is worth) is an impersonal expression in Polish. It never takes a direct subject. When you want to express that 'it is worth doing' something in general, you simply pair warto directly with an infinitive verb like kupić.
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