Breakdown of Ogólnie rzecz biorąc, nie wypada ziewać wśród gości.
nie
no / not
gość
guest
wśród
among
ogólnie rzecz biorąc
generally speaking
ziewać
to yawn
wypadać
it is appropriate / proper (impersonal verb)
Questions & Answers about Ogólnie rzecz biorąc, nie wypada ziewać wśród gości.
How does nie wypada work in this sentence, and why isn't there a subject word like 'it'?
The word wypada (negative: nie wypada) is an impersonal verb used to talk about social rules and etiquette, meaning 'it is fitting' or 'it is proper.' Because it is impersonal by nature, you never use a subject pronoun like to (it). You just follow it directly with an infinitive verb, which here is ziewać (to yawn).
What is the literal meaning of the phrase ogólnie rzecz biorąc?
It literally translates to 'generally taking the thing.' The word rzecz means 'thing,' and biorąc is a participle meaning 'taking' (from the verb brać). Even though it uses an active participle, it operates as a very common fixed phrase equivalent to the English 'generally speaking.'
If I wanted to say 'it is not appropriate for him to yawn,' how would I add 'for him' to nie wypada?
To specify who the social obligation applies to, you put that person in the dative case. So, 'it is not appropriate for him' would be nie wypada mu. In our sentence, the rule applies to everyone generally, so the dative object is simply left out.
Why does the word gość (guest) take the form gości here?
It is in the genitive plural form. This is required by the preposition wśród (among), which always forces the noun that follows it into the genitive case.
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