Breakdown of Patrzmy na scenę, a nie na podłogę!
nie
no / not
a
and / whereas (contrast)
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
podłoga
floor
scena
stage
patrzeć
to look
Questions & Answers about Patrzmy na scenę, a nie na podłogę!
Why are scena and podłoga changed to scenę and podłogę in this sentence?
The verb patrzeć (to look) requires the preposition na followed by the Accusative case to express what you are looking at. Because scena (stage) and podłoga (floor) are feminine nouns ending in -a, they change their endings to -ę in the Accusative.
What verb form is patrzmy?
It is the imperative (command) form for 'we', which translates to 'let's look'. You start with the command for 'you', which is patrz (look!), and add the 'we' ending -my to make patrzmy (let's look!).
Why does the sentence use a instead of i for the word 'and'?
In Polish, a is a contrasting conjunction. While i simply adds things together without contrast, a highlights a difference or opposition. When you are saying 'do this, and not that', using a nie is the standard way to express it.
Could I leave out the second na and just say 'a nie podłogę'?
You should keep the second na. When contrasting two phrases with a nie (and not), Polish strongly prefers repeating the preposition to keep the sentence grammatically balanced and clear.
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