Breakdown of Ten mężczyzna szedł ze mną powoli przez most.
ja
I
ten
this (m)
mężczyzna
man
iść
to go
z
with
przez
through, across
powoli
slowly
most
the bridge
Questions & Answers about Ten mężczyzna szedł ze mną powoli przez most.
Why does the verb szedł look completely different from its dictionary form iść?
Why is the word for 'with' spelled ze instead of just z in ze mną?
The preposition z (with) changes to ze to make it easier to pronounce when the next word starts with certain tricky consonant combinations. Since mną (the instrumental form of ja - me) starts with the cluster 'mn-', saying z mną would be very difficult, so Polish adds an 'e'.
The word mężczyzna ends in '-a'. Why do we use the masculine word ten and the masculine verb szedł?
Even though most Polish nouns ending in '-a' are feminine, mężczyzna (man) refers to a biological male, so it is treated as grammatically masculine. All adjectives, pointing words like ten (this/the), and past tense verbs like szedł must be in their masculine forms to match it.
What grammatical case is being used in the phrase przez most (across the bridge)?
The preposition przez (through/across) always requires the accusative case. However, because most (bridge) is a masculine inanimate noun (a non-living thing), its accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic nominative dictionary form.
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