Word
Nie mogli nosić tych cegieł, dlatego kupili taczkę.
Meaning
They could not carry these bricks, therefore they bought a wheelbarrow.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Nie mogli nosić tych cegieł, dlatego kupili taczkę.
nie
no / not
ten
this (m)
móc
to be able to
kupić
to buy (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Nie mogli nosić tych cegieł, dlatego kupili taczkę.
Why is nosić used here instead of nieść?
Nosić is the multidirectional verb for carrying. It is used here because moving a pile of bricks implies multiple trips back and forth, or a general inability to do the heavy work, rather than a single, continuous one-way trip (which would use nieść).
Why is it tych cegieł instead of te cegły?
Because of the negation! The direct object of a negated verb in Polish takes the Genitive case instead of the Accusative. Since the first part of the sentence says Nie mogli nosić (They could not carry), the bricks must be in the Genitive plural.
Wait, if the sentence is negative, why is taczkę in the Accusative case instead of the Genitive?
Negation only affects the specific clause it belongs to. Nie applies to mogli nosić, making the bricks Genitive. However, kupili (they bought) is in a new, positive clause, so its direct object (taczkę) stays in the standard Accusative case.
Why does cegieł have an 'e' in it if the basic word is cegła?