Breakdown of Moja babcia żyła sto lat.
mój
my
babcia
the grandmother
rok
year
sto
one hundred
żyć
to live (be alive)
Questions & Answers about Moja babcia żyła sto lat.
Wait, where does the word lat come from if the singular word for year is rok?
The Polish word for year is highly irregular. In the singular, it is rok. However, the plural changes completely to the new word lata (years). In this specific sentence, it changes one more time to the form lat because of the number sitting right in front of it.
Why do we use lat here instead of the basic plural lata?
In Polish, numbers from 5 upwards (like sto, meaning 100) require the noun that follows them to take the genitive plural case. So, the basic plural lata becomes the genitive plural lat. If she had lived just two years, it would be dwa lata, because the numbers 2, 3, and 4 use the regular nominative plural!
Why does the verb end in "-a" (żyła)?
żyła is the past tense form of żyć (to live). Because Polish past tense verbs must agree with the gender of the subject, we use the feminine form żyła to match babcia (grandmother). If we were talking about a grandfather (dziadek), we would use the masculine form żył.
Is sto lat a common phrase in Polish?
Definitely! While it literally means "a hundred years" in this sentence, Sto lat is also the name of the traditional Polish birthday song. It is the Polish equivalent of singing "Happy Birthday," wishing the person to live for a hundred years.
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