Breakdown of Taksówka na lotnisko przyjeżdża za pięć pierwsza.
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
pięć
five
lotnisko
airport (n)
pierwszy
first
za
behind; in (time)
taksówka
taxi
przyjeżdżać
to arrive (by vehicle, imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Taksówka na lotnisko przyjeżdża za pięć pierwsza.
How does za pięć pierwsza translate to "at five to one"?
To say "minutes to the hour" in Polish, we use the preposition za followed by the number of minutes, and then the hour we are approaching. So za pięć pierwsza literally means "in five [minutes it will be the] first [hour]". The minutes (pięć) are in the Accusative case, while the hour (pierwsza) stays in the basic Nominative case.
Why does the sentence use pierwsza instead of jeden for "one"?
When telling time in Polish, the hours are always ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) because you are referring to a specific hour of the day. Pierwsza is the feminine form of "first" because it matches the hidden feminine noun godzina (hour).
Why do we say na lotnisko instead of do lotniska for "to the airport"?
While do is the most common preposition for "to", certain open spaces and public places like an airport (lotnisko) or a train station (dworzec) take the preposition na. Because the taxi is moving toward a destination, na is followed by the Accusative case. Since lotnisko is a neuter noun, its Accusative form is identical to its dictionary form.
Could I use jedzie instead of przyjeżdża here?
They mean slightly different things. Jedzie means the taxi "is going" or "is driving" somewhere. Przyjeżdża specifically means it "is arriving" (by vehicle). The prefix przy- attached to a verb of motion usually changes the basic meaning to "arriving" or "coming to" a destination.
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