Questions & Answers about Dwie kaczki piją zimną wodę.
Why is the word for "two" here dwie instead of dwa?
In Polish, numbers change depending on the gender of the noun they count. Because kaczka (duck) is a feminine noun, we must use the feminine form dwie. You would use dwa for masculine animal, masculine inanimate, and neuter nouns.
How does the number dwie affect the ending of kaczki?
For the numbers 2, 3, and 4, the noun simply takes the standard Nominative plural form when it is the subject of the sentence. The plural of the feminine noun kaczka is kaczki, so we just put them together: dwie kaczki.
Is the verb piją in a plural form because of the number two?
Yes! Piją is the "they" form of pić (to drink). When the subject of a sentence uses the numbers 2, 3, or 4 (and isn't a group of men), the verb behaves normally and takes the plural form to match the plural subject.
Why do zimną and wodę have different endings here than their dictionary forms?
They are in the Accusative case because the cold water is the direct object (the thing being drunk). For feminine singular words in the Accusative case, the noun ending changes from -a to -ę (wodę), and the adjective ending changes from -a to -ą (zimną).