Word
Wszyscy tu są oprócz mojego brata.
Meaning
Everyone is here except my brother.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Wszyscy tu są oprócz mojego brata.
Why does the sentence use mojego brata instead of the basic form mój brat?
The word oprócz (except) is a preposition that requires the noun phrase following it to be in the Genitive case. Because of this, the basic form mój brat changes to the Genitive mojego brata.
In English we say 'everyone is', so why does Polish use the plural verb są (they are) here?
In Polish, wszyscy is grammatically plural (it is closer in meaning to 'all people'). Because it is plural, you must use the plural verb są instead of the singular jest.
Does wszyscy apply to any group of people?
Wszyscy is the masculine-personal form, used for any group of people that includes at least one man. If you were talking about a group made up entirely of women, you would use wszystkie instead.
Why does the Genitive form of brat end in -a?
Because a brother is a living person (a masculine animate noun). Masculine animate nouns take the -a ending in the Genitive case, making it brata. This means the Genitive form looks exactly like the Accusative form you learned earlier.