Breakdown of Co za błąd, oni chcą zabudować cały taras!
chcieć
to want
oni
they (masculine personal)
cały
whole, entire
błąd
mistake
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?