Breakdown of Dwóch kucharzy gotuje obiad.
gotować
to cook
obiad
dinner / lunch (midday meal)
dwóch
two (masculine personal)
kucharz
cook
Questions & Answers about Dwóch kucharzy gotuje obiad.
Why is it dwóch kucharzy instead of dwa kucharze?
Because kucharz (cook) is a masculine personal noun (a noun referring to a person). For numbers 2 to 4, masculine personal nouns require special virile numerals like dwóch, trzech, or czterech. When you use these numbers, the noun that follows must be in the Genitive plural case, which gives us kucharzy.
Why is the verb gotuje (he/she/it cooks) in the singular when there are two cooks?
This is a very important rule in Polish! Whenever the subject of a sentence uses a virile numeral like dwóch, trzech, or czterech (or any number 5 and above), the verb must take the 3rd person singular form. The grammar essentially treats "a group of two cooks" as a single, neutral entity.
How do I know to use the -y ending for the Genitive plural kucharzy?
The basic word kucharz ends in -rz. In Polish grammar, -rz is treated as a "soft" consonant. Masculine nouns that end in soft consonants usually take -y or -i in the Genitive plural, instead of the more common -ów ending.
Is the word obiad here in the Nominative or Accusative case?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object (the thing being cooked). However, because obiad is a masculine inanimate noun, its Accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic Nominative dictionary form.
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