Breakdown of Oby skazany zrozumiał swój błąd w więzieniu.
w
in / on (a day)
zrozumieć
to understand (perfective)
swój
one's own
błąd
mistake
więzienie
prison
oby
hopefully / if only
skazany
convict
Questions & Answers about Oby skazany zrozumiał swój błąd w więzieniu.
What kind of word is skazany and how does it function here?
Skazany is a passive participle formed from the verb skazać (to sentence/convict). Literally, it means "the sentenced one." In this sentence, it functions entirely as a noun meaning "the convict." Even though it acts as a noun, remember that it still declines exactly like an adjective.
Why is zrozumiał in the past tense if the sentence is about a future wish?
The word oby (meaning "may..." or "I hope that...") contains the particle -by. Just like the word żeby, it requires the verb that follows to be in its past tense form (technically the l-participle). So, even though the wish is for the future, the grammar demands the past tense form zrozumiał instead of the future tense zrozumie.
Could we say jego błąd instead of swój błąd?
Not if you want to say he understands his own mistake. Because the convict (skazany) is the subject of the sentence, you must use the reflexive possessive pronoun swój. If you wrote jego błąd, a Polish speaker would assume he is understanding a mistake made by some other male.
How does oby differ from saying mam nadzieję, że (I hope that)?
Oby expresses a strong wish or desire, similar to "May he..." or "If only he..." in English. It sounds a bit more dramatic or literary than mam nadzieję, że. Also, mam nadzieję, że would be followed by a standard future tense verb (...że skazany zrozumie...), whereas oby forces the past tense form.
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