Breakdown of Ja piję sok, a ty płacisz 12 złotych.
ja
I
ty
you (singular)
pić
to drink
a
and / whereas (contrast)
sok
juice
płacić
to pay
złoty
zloty
Questions & Answers about Ja piję sok, a ty płacisz 12 złotych.
How do we read 12 here, and why is the currency spelled złotych?
The number 12 is dwanaście. In Polish, numbers 5 and higher make the noun that follows them take the Genitive plural case (the case used for quantities). That is why the basic word złoty changes to złotych.
Why does the sentence use a instead of i for the English word and?
We use a to highlight a contrast or a difference between two situations. Here, it contrasts my action (drinking) with your action (paying). If we just wanted to link two similar things without contrasting them, we would use i.
Why didn't the word sok change its ending after the verb piję?
When a noun is the direct object of a verb (like the thing being drunk), it takes the Accusative case. For many nouns, this means changing the ending. However, sok is a non-living masculine noun. For these specific words, the Accusative form looks exactly the same as the basic dictionary form.
Why do the verbs have different endings in piję and płacisz?
Polish verbs change their endings depending on the person doing the action. The verb piję (I drink) ends in -ę because it matches ja (I). The verb płacisz (you pay) ends in -isz because it matches ty (you).
Learn Ja piję sok, a ty płacisz 12 złotych and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free