Breakdown of Tu czuć dym, niedaleko jest ognisko.
być
to be
tu
here
niedaleko
near / not far from
czuć
to feel (sensation) / to smell
Questions & Answers about Tu czuć dym, niedaleko jest ognisko.
Why does czuć mean 'you can smell' here? I thought it meant 'to feel'.
While czuć does mean 'to feel', it is also used as an impersonal sensory word, just like widać (you can see) and słychać (you can hear). When used on its own without a person doing the action, it means 'one can smell' or 'there is a smell of'.
Why is there no Polish word for 'you' in this sentence?
The Polish sentence is completely impersonal. The English translation uses the general 'you' (meaning 'anyone'), but Polish just says Tu czuć dym, which literally translates to 'Here [it is possible] to-smell smoke'.
What case does czuć require for the thing being smelled?
It takes the accusative case (the direct object). Here, the object is dym (smoke). Because dym is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form is identical to its basic dictionary form.
Is the word ognisko (campfire) related to the word for fire?
Yes! It comes from ogień (fire). The suffix -isko is often added to a noun to indicate a place associated with that thing, so ognisko historically means 'a place for fire'.