Breakdown of Jeśli potrzebujesz wsparcia, to jest dla ciebie.
to
this
być
to be
ty
you (singular)
jeśli
if
dla
for
potrzebować
to need
wsparcie
support
Questions & Answers about Jeśli potrzebujesz wsparcia, to jest dla ciebie.
Why do we use dla + Genitive here instead of just using the Dative case?
We use dla when something is intended for someone's benefit, like a gift or a resource meant specifically for them. The Dative case (which would be ci here) is used mostly for the indirect receiver of an action, like when you give, show, or tell something to someone. Since we are saying "this thing is meant for you," dla is the correct choice.
The word for "you" in the Genitive case is often cię. Why is it ciebie in this sentence?
In Polish, personal pronouns often have a short form (like cię) and a long form (like ciebie). You must always use the long, stressed form when the pronoun comes immediately after a preposition like dla.
Why is "support" translated as wsparcia instead of its dictionary form wsparcie?
The verb potrzebować (to need) is a special verb that requires the object following it to be in the Genitive case, rather than the usual Accusative case. So, the basic form wsparcie changes to its Genitive form wsparcia.
I learned that jeśli (if) is usually paired with to (then) in the second half of the sentence. Does to mean "then" or "this" here?
It actually does both! In an "if... then..." structure (jeśli... to...), to acts as "then". But here, it conveniently also serves as the subject of the second clause, meaning "this" or "it". So to jest translates perfectly to "then this is" or simply "this is".
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