Breakdown of Jaki jest twój nowy zawód?
być
to be
nowy
new
twój
your
jaki
what kind of, what ... like (asks for an adjective)
zawód
profession
Questions & Answers about Jaki jest twój nowy zawód?
The current lesson is about using the Instrumental case for professions. Why is zawód in the Nominative case here?
The Instrumental case is used when a profession follows verbs like być (to be) or zostać (to become), for example: Zostałem nauczycielem (I became a teacher). However, in this sentence, the profession itself is the subject: you are asking 'What is [the subject]?'. The subject of a sentence always takes the Nominative case, which is why we use twój nowy zawód instead of the Instrumental.
The English translation says 'What is...', so why use jaki instead of co?
In Polish, co (what) is only used as a standalone noun pronoun, like asking 'What is that?'. Because this question is asking for the specific type or identity of a noun (zawód), it requires the adjective-like question word jaki (what kind of/which). Since zawód is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form jaki.
I've seen the word zawód used in a completely different context. Does it mean something else too?
Yes! Besides 'profession' or 'occupation', zawód can also mean 'disappointment'. You will know which one it is from context. When talking about jobs, taking courses, or using verbs like zostać, it means 'profession'. If someone is talking about their feelings, it usually means 'disappointment'.
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