Breakdown of Nigdy nie pożyczam pieniędzy obcym osobom.
nie
no / not
pieniądze
money
nigdy
never
osoba
person
obcy
stranger / foreign
pożyczać
to lend / to borrow
Questions & Answers about Nigdy nie pożyczam pieniędzy obcym osobom.
Why do we use the dative plural endings in obcym osobom?
The verb pożyczać (to lend) needs the dative case to show who is receiving the item. In the dative plural, adjectives take the ending -ym (or -im) and nouns almost always take the ending -om. This changes obce osoby (strangers) into obcym osobom (to strangers).
Why is the word for money in the genitive case (pieniędzy) instead of the accusative?
Usually, the thing you are lending is the direct object and takes the accusative case. However, in Polish, whenever a verb is negated (here with nie), its direct object automatically switches to the genitive case.
Why are there two negative words (nigdy and nie) right next to each other?
Polish uses double negation. If you use a negative word like nigdy (never), nic (nothing), or nikt (nobody) in a sentence, you still have to put nie in front of the verb. Literally, this sentence says "I never do not lend."
Wait, doesn't pożyczać also mean "to borrow"?
Yes, pożyczać is a two-way verb that can mean either "to lend" or "to borrow" depending on the context! You know it means "lend" here because it is followed by the dative case (obcym osobom), showing who the money is going to. If you were borrowing from strangers, you would use the preposition od (from) followed by the genitive case.
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