Questions & Answers about Mój brat ma jedenaście lat.
Why do we use mój instead of moja or moje here?
The Polish word for 'my' changes to match the gender of the noun it belongs to. Since brat (brother) is a masculine noun, we must use the masculine form mój. If we were talking about a sister (siostra - feminine), we would use moja.
The English translation says 'is eleven', but doesn't ma mean 'has'?
Exactly! In Polish, you don't say that someone is a certain age. Instead, you use the verb mieć (to have) to say they have a certain number of years. So, this sentence literally means 'My brother has eleven years.'
Why is the word for 'years' lat instead of rok or lata?
Counting in Polish changes the form of the noun! You use rok for 1 year, and lata for 2, 3, and 4 years. But for numbers 5 and above (including jedenaście), the word changes to lat.
Polish often drops words like 'I' (ja) or 'you' (ty). Can I drop mój here too?
You can, but only if the context makes it completely obvious whose brother you are talking about. If you just say Brat ma jedenaście lat out of nowhere, people might wonder whose brother you mean. When bringing him up for the first time, it is better to keep mój.
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