Breakdown of Twoje pytanie trafiło w samo sedno.
twój
your
pytanie
question / asking
w
into (direction, + Accusative)
trafić
to guess correctly / to hit
Questions & Answers about Twoje pytanie trafiło w samo sedno.
Why is samo used here instead of just saying w sedno?
Here, samo acts as an intensifier meaning 'the very' or 'exactly'. While trafić w sedno just means 'to hit the core', adding samo emphasizes hitting the exact center, similar to 'hitting the bullseye'.
Why are samo sedno in the accusative case here instead of the locative?
The preposition w takes the accusative case when it indicates directing an action toward a target, like aiming and hitting. If it described a static location of already being inside the core, it would take the locative case (w samym sednie).
Is trafić w sedno a set phrase in Polish?
Yes, it is a very common idiom that perfectly equates to the English phrase 'to hit the nail on the head' or 'to get to the heart of the matter'. The noun sedno means the crux, essence, or core of a problem.
Could the form of samo change to sam or sama depending on who is asking the question?
No, because this intensifier does not refer to the speaker or the listener. It is a modifier that must strictly agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it attaches to. Since sedno is a neuter noun, it requires the neuter form samo.