Breakdown of Dzisiaj jadę tramwajem, a nie autobusem.
nie
no / not
dzisiaj
today
a
and / whereas (contrast)
jechać
to travel
autobus
bus
tramwaj
tram
Questions & Answers about Dzisiaj jadę tramwajem, a nie autobusem.
Why do we use jadę here instead of another word for "go"?
In Polish, you must use different verbs depending on how you are going. Jadę comes from the verb jechać, which means to go using a vehicle (like a tram, bus, or car). If you were walking, you would use idę.
Why do tramwaj and autobus have the -em ending added to them?
When you talk about using a mode of transportation, Polish changes the noun's ending to show the "by" meaning. This is called the Instrumental case. For masculine nouns like tramwaj and autobus, you add -em to the end. It translates directly to "by tram" (tramwajem) or "by bus" (autobusem). You don't need a separate Polish word for "by"!
Why use a nie instead of just nie for "not"?
The word a is a conjunction used to show a contrast between two things. In this sentence, you are directly contrasting the tram with the bus. Using a nie translates nicely to "and not" or "rather than".
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
Polish usually drops subject pronouns like ja (I) because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. The -ę ending in jadę specifically means "I am going", so adding ja is not necessary unless you really want to emphasize that you are the one going.
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