Breakdown of Oni sami zrobili ten projekt, bo są bardzo niezależni.
być
to be
ten
this (m)
bardzo
very
oni
they (masculine personal)
projekt
project
zrobić
to do / to make (someone something)
bo
because
sam
alone / himself (emphatic) / pure / nothing but
niezależny
independent
Questions & Answers about Oni sami zrobili ten projekt, bo są bardzo niezależni.
Why do we use sami here instead of same?
sami is the masculine personal plural form of sam (alone/by oneself). Because the subject is Oni (a group of "they" that includes at least one male), we must use sami. If the subject was a group of only women, children, or things (One), we would use same.
Does sami mean "themselves" or "alone" in this sentence?
It translates best to "themselves" or "by themselves" here, meaning they did the project without anyone else's help. However, the Polish word sam (and its forms like sami) can also mean "alone" (as in, physically by yourself). The context usually tells you which one it is!
sami, zrobili, and niezależni all end in "i". Is that a coincidence?
Not at all! This is Polish grammar in action. Because the subject is Oni (masculine personal plural), all words connected to it must agree. The modifier (sami), the past tense verb (zrobili), and the adjective (niezależni) all take masculine personal plural endings, which frequently end in -i.
Why doesn't ten projekt change its ending since it is the object of the action?
It actually is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of zrobili (they made/did). However, projekt is a masculine inanimate noun. For these nouns, the accusative form looks exactly the same as the basic dictionary form. That is why ten projekt looks unchanged.
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