Questions & Answers about E-mail do firmy kończy się słowami: Z poważaniem.
Why do we use the reflexive kończy się here instead of just kończy?
In Polish, kończyć (without się) means to finish something, which requires a direct object, like when a person finishes writing an email. Because the email isn't actively finishing another thing, but is rather coming to an end itself, we must use the reflexive kończy się.
Why is słowami in the instrumental case without a preposition?
The verb kończyć się takes the instrumental case to express what something concludes with. Even though we say 'ends with the words' in English, Polish doesn't use the preposition z here; the instrumental noun słowami alone handles that meaning.
What does Z poważaniem literally mean, and when should I use it?
It literally means 'with respect', where poważanie is in the instrumental case after the preposition z. It is the standard, safe sign-off for any formal correspondence in Polish. You should always use it instead of casual greetings like Pozdrawiam when writing to a company, institution, or someone you do not know.
Why do we use do firmy instead of just using the dative case for the recipient?