Learn Polish: Moja siostra jest niezależna i zawsze podróżuje sama. - My sister is independent and always travels alone.

Moja siostra jest niezależna i zawsze podróżuje sama.

My sister is independent and always travels alone.

Breakdown of Moja siostra jest niezależna i zawsze podróżuje sama.

Questions & Answers about Moja siostra jest niezależna i zawsze podróżuje sama.

Why do we use sama here instead of sam?

The word for alone changes its ending to match the subject it describes. The subject of this sentence is moja siostra (my sister), which is feminine. Therefore, we use the feminine singular form sama. If the subject were masculine, like a brother, it would be sam.

I notice niezależna also ends in an a. Is it following the same rule?

Yes! Both niezależna (independent) and sama (alone) act as adjectives describing siostra (sister). Since siostra is a feminine noun, both words take the feminine -a ending. If you were talking about a man, it would be niezależny and sam.

I sometimes mix up podróżuje and podróżuję. How do I remember which one to use here?

Look at the very last letter. Podróżuje ends in a regular e and is the form for he, she, or it. Since the subject is your sister (she), this is the correct form. If you were talking about yourself (I travel), you would use podróżuję with the nasal ę at the end.

Would it be wrong to say zawsze sama podróżuje?

No, that would also be grammatically correct because Polish word order is quite flexible. However, putting sama at the very end of the sentence adds a little extra emphasis to it. It highlights the impressive fact that she does it completely alone.