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Questions & Answers about Kto tam śpi?
Why does the verb śpi look so different from its dictionary form spać?
The verb spać (to sleep) is irregular in Polish. When asking about kto (who), we use the third-person singular form (he/she/it), which changes the stem to śpi.
Do we always use the he/she/it form of the verb after kto?
Yes! Just like in English where we say 'Who is' instead of 'Who are', the question word kto (who) always takes the third-person singular form of the verb.
Is it okay to put tam at the end of the sentence, like Kto śpi tam?
Yes, Polish word order is flexible, so Kto śpi tam? is perfectly fine. However, short words like tam (there) often naturally sit right before the verb in simple questions like this.
How do I pronounce the ś at the start of śpi?
The letter ś makes a soft sound similar to the English 'sh' in 'sheep'. To get it right, try saying 'sh' while keeping the tip of your tongue resting behind your bottom front teeth.