Question 1

Why is it tylu instead of tyle here?

Accepted Answer

The verb znam is negated (nie znam), which triggers the genitive case, often called the Genitive of Negation. While tyle is the standard nominative and accusative form for non-masculine-personal nouns like words, its genitive form is tylu.

Question 2

If the sentence were positive, would it still be tylu słów?

Accepted Answer

No, if it were positive, it would be Znam tyle słów. An affirmative znam takes the accusative case, so you use tyle. The noun słów remains in the genitive plural in both versions because quantifiers like tyle always force the noun that follows them into the genitive plural anyway.

Question 3

How does słowo become słów in the genitive plural?

Accepted Answer

For most neuter nouns ending in -o, you form the genitive plural by simply dropping the final -o. When dropping that vowel leaves a word ending in a consonant, the preceding 'o' often changes to 'ó' (o with an acute accent). This gives us słów.

Question 4

Could I use tak dużo instead of tylu?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Nie znam tak dużo słów is a great alternative and means the exact same thing. The word dużo does not decline for case here, so you do not have to worry about changing it to a genitive form like you do with tylu. However, mastering tylu is a great way to sound more native at the B2 level.

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