Breakdown of Trzeciego maja obchodzimy to święto narodowe.
to
this
trzeci
third
maj
May
obchodzić
to celebrate / to observe (an occasion, anniversary)
Questions & Answers about Trzeciego maja obchodzimy to święto narodowe.
Why is it trzeciego maja instead of just trzeci maj?
To say that an event happens on a specific date, Polish puts both the ordinal number and the month into the genitive case. The basic form trzeci (third) becomes trzeciego, and maj (May) becomes maja.
Why is to święto narodowe in its basic dictionary form if it is the object of the sentence?
It is actually in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb obchodzimy. However, for neuter nouns like święto and their adjectives, the accusative case looks exactly the same as the basic nominative form.
Doesn't the verb obchodzić usually mean to walk around something?
Yes, its literal meaning is to walk around, but it is also the standard Polish verb used for celebrating or observing holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.
Why is the adjective narodowe placed after the noun święto instead of before it?
Descriptive adjectives usually go before the noun in Polish. But when an adjective defines a specific official category or type of something, like a national holiday, it is placed after the noun.