Breakdown of Dlaczego nikt nie sprząta kurzu na strychu?
nie
no / not
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
dlaczego
why
sprzątać
to clean
Questions & Answers about Dlaczego nikt nie sprząta kurzu na strychu?
Why do we have both nikt and nie? Doesn't that mean "nobody is not cleaning"?
In Polish, double negation is mandatory. When you use a negative pronoun like nikt (nobody) or nigdy (never), you must also put nie before the verb. So nikt nie sprząta translates word-for-word as "nobody doesn't clean", but it simply means "nobody cleans" in English.
Why is the word for dust kurzu instead of the basic form kurz?
This is because of a rule called the Genitive of Negation. Normally, the verb sprzątać (to clean) takes a direct object in the Accusative case. But whenever a verb is negated by nie, its direct object must change to the Genitive case. The Genitive form of the masculine noun kurz is kurzu.
What form is the verb sprząta in, and why?
It is in the third-person singular present tense. The pronoun nikt (nobody) always acts as a singular subject, so it takes the exact same verb form as on, ona, or ono (he, she, it).
Why does strych (attic) change to strychu in this sentence?