Breakdown of Co za błąd, oni chcą zabudować cały taras!
chcieć
to want
oni
they (masculine personal)
cały
whole, entire
błąd
mistake
taras
terrace
co za
what a
zabudować
to enclose
Questions & Answers about Co za błąd, oni chcą zabudować cały taras!
How does the prefix za- change the meaning of budować in zabudować?
The prefix za- here adds the meaning of enclosure or blocking space. While budować just means to build, zabudować means to enclose an open area with walls, windows, or screens, effectively blocking the open air. This is why it translates to enclose the terrace.
Why does the sentence use Co za instead of a word like Jaki to say What a?
Co za is a fixed phrase used for exclamations to express strong emotion, translating directly to What a...! in English. It is always followed by a noun in the nominative case, like błąd. You could say Jaki błąd!, but Co za błąd! is a very natural, emphatic alternative.
Why doesn't the ending of cały taras change even though it is the direct object of the verb?
The verb zabudować requires the accusative case for its direct object. However, because taras is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative dictionary form. The adjective cały matches this pattern.
Why do we use the perfective verb zabudować after chcą instead of the imperfective?
When expressing a desire with chcieć (to want), you choose the verb aspect based on the intended result. They want to complete the enclosure of the terrace, focusing on the final finished product rather than the process of building it, so the perfective zabudować is required here.
Learn Co za błąd, oni chcą zabudować cały taras and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free