Breakdown of Półka wisi między oknem a szafą.
okno
window
a
and / whereas (contrast)
między
between
szafa
wardrobe
wisieć
to hang
półka
shelf
Questions & Answers about Półka wisi między oknem a szafą.
Why does this sentence use a instead of i for 'and'?
In Polish, when you say something is 'between X and Y', the fixed structure is między [X] a [Y]. You cannot use i here. The word a is used to coordinate the two distinct endpoints.
Why are the words for window and wardrobe spelled oknem and szafą instead of okno and szafa?
They are in the Instrumental case. The preposition między (between), when describing a static location (where something is), always forces the nouns that follow it into the Instrumental case.
How do the Instrumental endings work for oknem and szafą?
The basic word for window is okno, which is a neuter noun. To form the Instrumental case, neuter nouns drop the -o and add -em, making it oknem. The word for wardrobe is szafa, a feminine noun. Feminine nouns change their final -a to -ą in the Instrumental case, which gives us szafą.
Is the verb wisi used for both 'the shelf hangs' and 'I hang the shelf'?
No! Polish uses two different verbs for 'to hang'. Wisieć (used here as wisi) describes the static state of something already hanging there. If you are actively doing the physical action of hanging something up, you must use the different verb wieszać.
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