Breakdown of Mój brat zna odpowiedź.
znać
to know (someone or something)
brat
brother
mój
my
odpowiedź
answer
Questions & Answers about Mój brat zna odpowiedź.
Why do we use zna here instead of wie for 'knows'?
The verb znać (used here as zna) means to know or be familiar with a noun, such as a person, a place, or a thing. Because 'the answer' (odpowiedź) is a noun, we must use zna. We would use wie (from wiedzieć) if we were introducing a clause, like 'My brother knows what the answer is.'
Why doesn't the word odpowiedź have a special Accusative ending like -ę?
The verb znać requires its direct object to be in the Accusative case, but odpowiedź is a special feminine noun that ends in a consonant rather than the typical -a. For these consonant-ending feminine nouns, the Accusative form is exactly the same as their basic dictionary form.
Why is it mój brat instead of moje brat?
Possessive words like 'my' must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because brat (brother) is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form mój. You would use moja for feminine nouns and moje for neuter nouns or non-masculine plurals.
What is the dictionary form of zna?
The dictionary form (infinitive) is znać. It follows a very regular conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -ać. The form for 'I know' is znam, 'you know' is znasz, and for he, she, or it, the form is zna.
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