Breakdown of Zamawiam pizzę bez cebuli i czosnku.
i
and
pizza
pizza
zamawiać
to order
bez
without
cebula
onion
czosnek
garlic
Questions & Answers about Zamawiam pizzę bez cebuli i czosnku.
Why do we use the forms cebuli and czosnku here instead of cebula and czosnek?
The preposition bez (without) always forces the nouns that follow it into the Genitive case. The feminine noun cebula changes its ending to -i to become cebuli, and the masculine noun czosnek takes the ending -u to become czosnku. Since they are joined by i (and), the preposition bez applies to both of them.
Where did the "e" go in the word czosnek?
This is a great example of the "fleeting e" (or mobile e) in Polish. Many masculine nouns that end in -ek or -ec drop that final e whenever a grammatical ending is added. Because of this, czosnek loses its e before getting the Genitive -u ending, becoming czosnku.
Why does pizza change to pizzę in this sentence?
Pizza is the direct object of the verb zamawiam (I am ordering). Because it is a feminine noun in the singular, its standard ending -a changes to -ę for the Accusative case.
Does zamawiam mean "I order" or "I am ordering"?
It can mean both! Polish doesn't have a separate continuous tense like English does. Zamawiam is an imperfective verb in the present tense, so depending on the context, it can translate to a general routine ("I usually order") or an action happening right now ("I am ordering").
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