Breakdown of Ten aktor ma trzydzieści lat i jest bardzo skromny.
być
to be
i
and
mieć
to have
ten
this (m)
bardzo
very
aktor
actor
rok
year
trzydzieści
thirty
skromny
modest
Questions & Answers about Ten aktor ma trzydzieści lat i jest bardzo skromny.
Since the current lesson focuses on podczas gdy (whereas), how would I use it to contrast this actor with others right after this sentence?
You could add a clause like , podczas gdy inni są aroganccy (whereas others are arrogant). Notice that when podczas gdy is used to introduce a contrasting fact rather than a simultaneous time, it always requires a comma before it.
Why is the adjective skromny in the nominative case here? Doesn't the verb być (jest) usually take the instrumental case?
The verb być takes the instrumental case when it is followed by a noun phrase, for example: On jest bardzo skromnym aktorem (He is a very modest actor). However, when być is followed only by an adjective describing the subject, that adjective remains in the nominative case (jest bardzo skromny).
I know we use mieć (to have) for age, but as a refresher, why is it lat and not lata after trzydzieści?
Numbers ending in 2, 3, or 4 (like 22, 23, 24) take the nominative plural, which is lata. However, the numbers 12, 13, 14, and all round tens (10, 20, 30, 40) take the genitive plural. Therefore, trzydzieści must be followed by lat.
Does skromny mean "modest" only in terms of personality, or can it be used for inanimate things too?
It applies to both, exactly like "modest" in English! You can use it to describe a person's character, but you can also talk about a skromny posiłek (modest meal), skromne dochody (modest income), or a skromny dom (modest house).
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