Breakdown of Nie boimy się bólu, ale wysokości.
nie
no / not
ale
but
bać się
to be afraid
wysokość
height
ból
pain
Questions & Answers about Nie boimy się bólu, ale wysokości.
Why are bólu and wysokości in the Genitive case here?
They are the objects of the verb bać się (to be afraid of). As you are learning in this lesson, this specific verb always requires what you are afraid of to be in the Genitive case.
The dictionary word for "pain" is ból. How do I know whether to add -a or -u for the masculine Genitive ending?
Ból is a masculine inanimate noun. In the Genitive case, these nouns can end in either -a or -u. While there is no perfect rule, abstract concepts like pain, time, or peace usually take the -u ending, giving us bólu.
The English translation says "heights" (plural). Is wysokości plural here?
Grammatically, it could be either singular or plural! The base word is wysokość (height), which is a feminine noun ending in a consonant. For this specific group of feminine nouns, both the Genitive singular and the Genitive plural happen to be exactly the same: wysokości. In English, we just naturally say "heights" in this context.
If I drop the nie and say "We are afraid of pain", do the endings change?
No, they stay exactly the same: Boimy się bólu. You might remember from earlier lessons that adding nie to a sentence changes an Accusative object into a Genitive one. However, because bać się already forces its object into the Genitive case anyway, the nie doesn't change the grammar here.
Learn Nie boimy się bólu, ale wysokości and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free