Breakdown of Zjedliśmy kolację bardzo późno.
bardzo
very
kolacja
the supper / dinner (evening meal)
późno
late
zjeść
to eat (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Zjedliśmy kolację bardzo późno.
Why do we use zjedliśmy here instead of jedliśmy?
Zjedliśmy comes from the perfective verb zjeść. We use it here because eating the dinner is a finished, completed action. If we used the imperfective jedliśmy (from jeść), it would mean "we were eating dinner" and focus on the process of eating rather than the finished result.
Does the ending of zjedliśmy tell us exactly who is speaking?
Yes! The -śmy ending means "we". Specifically, zjedliśmy is used for a group that includes at least one male (masculine personal group). If a group of only women were speaking, they would say zjadłyśmy. Notice that the e in the middle also changes to an a!
Why does the word for dinner end in -ę (kolację)?
The dictionary form is kolacja, which is a feminine noun. Because dinner is the direct object of the verb (it is the thing being eaten), it changes to the Accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, that ending always changes to -ę.
I thought obiad meant dinner. What is the difference between obiad and kolacja?
In Poland, obiad is the main, warm meal of the day, traditionally eaten in the mid-to-late afternoon. Kolacja is the evening meal or supper, which is usually smaller and often consists of cold sandwiches. English speakers often translate kolacja as "dinner" because it happens in the evening.
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