Breakdown of Tydzień temu studenci jechali na wycieczkę.
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
student
student (m)
jechać
to travel
temu
ago
tydzień
week
wycieczka
trip
Questions & Answers about Tydzień temu studenci jechali na wycieczkę.
Why does the verb jechali end in -li?
Jechali is the past tense for 'they were going' (by vehicle). Because studenci (students) includes at least one male person, we use the 'virile' (masculine personal) ending -li. If it were a group of only female students (studentki), the verb would be jechały using the 'non-virile' ending -ły.
How do you say 'ago' in Polish? Is it temu?
Yes! Notice the word order: just like in English where we say 'a week ago', in Polish it is tydzień (a week) + temu (ago). The word temu always comes after the amount of time it relates to.
Could I use szli instead of jechali here?
You would only use szli if they were walking the entire way. Jechali means they were going by some kind of vehicle, like a bus or a train. Since it is a trip (wycieczkę), they are almost certainly traveling by transport.
Why does the sentence use wycieczkę instead of the dictionary form wycieczka?
The preposition na (on/to) followed by a destination requires the Accusative case to show motion. Since wycieczka is a feminine noun, its -a ending changes to -ę in the Accusative case, making it na wycieczkę (on a trip).
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