Breakdown of Czym pan jeździ do pracy? — Taksówką.
pan
sir / Mr.
praca
work
do
to
jeździć
to drive, to go (by vehicle)
taksówka
taxi
czym
with what, in what, by what (Instrumental of co)
Questions & Answers about Czym pan jeździ do pracy? — Taksówką.
Why is czym used here instead of co (what)?
Czym is the Instrumental case of co. In Polish, when you talk about the means of transportation you use to get somewhere, you use the Instrumental case. So, czym literally translates to 'by what'.
Why does the verb jeździ end in -i? Shouldn't the 'you' form end in -sz?
The sentence uses pan (sir), which is the formal way to say 'you' to a man. Formal pronouns like pan and pani always take the third-person singular form of the verb (the 'he/she' form), which is why we use jeździ instead of the informal 'you' form jeździsz.
Is there a difference between jeździ and jedzie?
Yes! Both mean 'to go' by a vehicle, but jeździ is used for regular, repeated trips, like commuting to work every day. Jedzie is used when you are currently on your way or making a one-time trip right now.
Why is the answer taksówką instead of the dictionary word taksówka?
Because the question asks czym (by what means), the answer must also be in the Instrumental case. For feminine nouns ending in -a like taksówka, the Instrumental ending is -ą, making it taksówką (by taxi).
Why is it do pracy and not just do praca?
The preposition do (to) always requires the noun that follows it to change its ending to the Genitive case. For the feminine noun praca (work), the Genitive ending is -y, so it becomes do pracy.
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