Breakdown of Pociąg musi przejechać przez most.
pociąg
train
musieć
to have to
przez
through, across
most
the bridge
przejechać
to drive across
Questions & Answers about Pociąg musi przejechać przez most.
Why does the verb jechać have the prefix prze- in this sentence?
The prefix prze- is added to motion verbs to mean 'through' or 'across.' Since a train is a vehicle, we start with jechać (to go by vehicle) and add prze- to get przejechać, which means to cross or drive through from one side to the other.
Why do we use both przejechać and the preposition przez? Isn't that repetitive?
It might look repetitive, but it is the standard rule in Polish! When using a prefixed motion verb, you usually pair it with its matching preposition. So, verbs starting with prze- are usually followed by przez (through/across) to introduce the thing being crossed.
What case is the word most in this sentence?
It is in the Accusative case, which is always required by the preposition przez. Because most (bridge) is a masculine inanimate noun, its Accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary form.
Could we use the imperfective verb przejeżdżać instead of przejechać here?
You would use przejeżdżać if you were talking about a repeated habit ('The train often crosses...') or an ongoing process. Here, we use the perfective przejechać because it refers to a single, complete action that the train needs to finish: crossing the bridge from start to finish.
Why is przejechać in its infinitive (dictionary) form here?
Because it follows the modal verb musi (must). Just like in English ('must cross'), the main action verb that comes after a modal verb stays in the infinitive. Only the modal verb changes to match the subject (pociąg).
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