Breakdown of Te, które tkają, wiedzą, że dobra przędza to podstawa.
ten
this (m)
dobry
good
wiedzieć
to know
to
is (linking copula)
że
that
który
which, who (relative)
podstawa
basis
tkać
to weave
przędza
yarn, spun fibre (for weaving)
Questions & Answers about Te, które tkają, wiedzą, że dobra przędza to podstawa.
Why does this sentence use Te, które instead of the standard Ci, którzy for "Those who"?
In Polish, plural pronouns must reflect gender. Ci, którzy is the masculine personal form used for men or mixed groups. Te, które is the non-masculine personal form. The sentence specifically refers to a group of females, which makes sense contextually since weaving was traditionally a women's craft.
Why does the second part say dobra przędza to podstawa instead of using the verb jest?
Using to is a very natural way to express "A is B" in Polish, especially for definitions, maxims, or general truths. Remember that when you use to, both nouns stay in the Nominative case. If you used jest, the second noun would have to switch to the Instrumental case: dobra przędza jest podstawą. Both are correct, but to sounds punchier for a rule of thumb.
What is the infinitive of the verb tkają, and is it irregular?
The infinitive is tkać (to weave). It conjugates quite regularly in the present tense, following the same pattern as verbs like czytać (to read): ja tkam, ty tkasz, and in the third-person plural, one tkają.
Could I say wiedzą o tym, że instead of just wiedzą, że here?
Yes! Wiedzą o tym, że (they know about the fact that) is a common and correct construction in Polish to connect a verb to a że clause. However, with the verb wiedzieć (to know), simply saying wiedzą, że is perfectly natural and much more concise.
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