Word
Dzisiaj jadę tramwajem, a nie autobusem.
Meaning
Today I am going by tram, not by bus.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Dzisiaj jadę tramwajem, a nie autobusem.
nie
no / not
dzisiaj
today
a
and / whereas (contrast)
jechać
to travel
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?