Breakdown of Nie wiemy, gdzie jest najgłębszy ocean.
być
to be
gdzie
where
nie
no / not
wiedzieć
to know
głęboki
deep
ocean
ocean
Questions & Answers about Nie wiemy, gdzie jest najgłębszy ocean.
How do we form the superlative najgłębszy (the deepest) from the basic adjective for deep?
The basic dictionary adjective for deep is głęboki. When forming the comparative (deeper), Polish often drops endings like -oki or -ki, making it głębszy. To form the superlative (the deepest), you simply add the prefix naj- to that comparative form, resulting in najgłębszy.
Why does the verb jest come right after gdzie, unlike the English translation?
Polish word order is quite flexible. In indirect questions like this one, it is perfectly natural to put the verb (jest) immediately after the question word (gdzie). Unlike English, Polish doesn't require a strict change in word order when a question is embedded inside another sentence.
Why do we use wiemy to mean we know instead of znamy?
The verb wiedzieć (here conjugated as wiemy) is used for knowing facts or information. It is always the correct choice before question words like gdzie (where), kto (who), or co (what). You use znać (like znamy) when talking about being personally familiar with a specific person, place, or noun.
Is the comma before gdzie required?
Yes. In Polish punctuation, you must almost always place a comma before a subordinate clause. This means any secondary part of a sentence starting with a word like gdzie (where), że (that), or który (which) will have a mandatory comma in front of it.
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