Questions & Answers about Moje ryby szybko pływają.
Why is the word for "my" moje here instead of mój or moja?
Because ryby is plural. In Polish, plural nouns that aren't groups of men (called non-virile nouns) use moje. If it were just one fish (which is a feminine noun), you would say moja ryba.
Is ryby plural? In English we just say "fish" for both singular and plural.
Yes! While English often uses "fish" for both one and many, Polish makes a clear distinction. Ryba is singular (one fish), and ryby is the non-virile plural. Changing the ending to -y is a very common way to make feminine nouns plural in the nominative case.
Why does the sentence use szybko instead of szybka or szybkie?
Szybko is an adverb (meaning "fast" or "quickly"), which describes an action. It tells us how the fish swim. Words like szybka or szybkie are adjectives, which are used to describe nouns (like a "fast fish"). Since we are describing the verb pływają, we need the adverb form.
Why does the verb end in -ają here?
The dictionary form of this verb is pływać (to swim). Because the subject is plural (moje ryby), we have to use the "they" form of the verb. For this verb group, that means dropping the -ć and adding -ją, making it pływają.
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