Breakdown of Ekran, który tu wczoraj był, jest zepsuty.
być
to be
tu
here
wczoraj
yesterday
który
which, who (relative)
ekran
screen
zepsuty
broken
Questions & Answers about Ekran, który tu wczoraj był, jest zepsuty.
Why do we use który here instead of która or które?
The relative pronoun który (which/that) must match the gender and number of the noun it refers to. Since it refers back to ekran (screen), which is a masculine noun, we must use the masculine singular form który.
Why are there commas around the phrase który tu wczoraj był?
In Polish, relative clauses (the descriptive parts of a sentence starting with words like który) must always be set off by commas. You need one comma before który to start the description, and another comma after był to close it before finishing the main thought (jest zepsuty).
Could I change the word order to który był tu wczoraj?
Yes, you could! Polish word order is quite flexible. Putting the verb był at the end of the clause (który tu wczoraj był) is very natural and common, but putting it right after the pronoun is also perfectly fine.
Why does zepsuty end with -y?
Zepsuty means broken, and it works like an adjective describing the main subject of the sentence, ekran. Because ekran is a masculine noun in the Nominative case (the basic dictionary form), zepsuty takes the standard masculine ending -y.
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