Breakdown of To jest przestronna sypialnia, w której śpi mój brat.
to
this
być
to be
spać
to sleep
brat
brother
mój
my
w
in / on (a day)
który
which, who (relative)
przestronny
spacious
sypialnia
bedroom
Questions & Answers about To jest przestronna sypialnia, w której śpi mój brat.
Why do we use w której here instead of w którym?
The word for "which" has to match the gender of the noun it refers back to. Here, it refers to sypialnia (bedroom), which is feminine. Because it follows the preposition w (in), it must be in the Locative case. The feminine Locative form of który is której.
Why is the word order śpi mój brat instead of mój brat śpi?
Polish word order is very flexible. In clauses that start with a relative pronoun like w której, it is very common and natural to put the verb (śpi) right after the pronoun and before the subject (mój brat). Saying w której mój brat śpi is also strictly correct, but the sentence's given order flows very naturally in Polish.
I thought describing what something is requires the Instrumental case. Why is it przestronna sypialnia (Nominative)?
When you introduce or point to something using the specific phrase To jest (This is), the noun that follows stays in the basic Nominative case. You would only use the Instrumental case if you used a regular personal pronoun instead of To, for example: Ona jest przestronną sypialnią (It/She is a spacious bedroom).
What is the dictionary form of the verb śpi?
It comes from the verb spać (to sleep). It is slightly irregular in the present tense because the stem changes, making the third-person singular form (he/she/it sleeps) śpi.
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