Breakdown of Gdzie są gazety? Czytasz je?
być
to be
gdzie
where
czytać
to read
gazeta
newspaper
je
them / it (neuter)
Questions & Answers about Gdzie są gazety? Czytasz je?
Why do we use je here for "them"?
The word je is the accusative (direct object) pronoun for "them" when referring to non-masculine-personal nouns (things, animals, and groups of women). Since it replaces gazety (newspapers), which is a non-human thing, we must use je.
Can I put je at the beginning of the sentence, like "Je czytasz?"?
No, je is a "clitic" pronoun, which means it is a short, unstressed word. These short pronouns cannot start a sentence in Polish. They usually tuck in right after the verb, which is why it is Czytasz je? (Are you reading them?).
Is gazety plural here? How do I know?
Yes, gazety is the plural of gazeta (newspaper). In Polish, feminine nouns ending in -a usually change to -y in the plural. The verb są (are) in the first sentence also gives away that we are talking about more than one newspaper.
The English translation says "Are you reading them?", but doesn't czytasz just mean "you read"?
Polish does not have a separate "continuous" tense like English does. The single word czytasz covers both "you read" (as a general habit) and "you are reading" (happening right now). The context of asking where the newspapers are tells us it means "Are you reading them right now?".
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