Questions & Answers about O północy śpimy.
Why does the word for midnight end in -y here (północy)?
The dictionary form is północ. When we use the preposition o (at) to talk about a specific time, we must use the Locative case. Because północ is a feminine noun ending in a consonant, it takes the -y ending here.
Why is there no word for "we" in this sentence?
In Polish, the verb ending usually tells you exactly who is doing the action. The -my ending in śpimy already means "we sleep." You only need to add the pronoun my (we) if you want to strongly emphasize who is sleeping.
What is the dictionary form of the verb śpimy?
The dictionary form (infinitive) is spać (to sleep). Notice how the s changes to a softer ś when conjugated for "we".
I've seen the word północ used for a compass direction. Does it mean both?
Yes! Północ literally translates to "half-night" (pół + noc). Because of this, it is used to mean both "midnight" and the direction "north".
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