Breakdown of Wędrowali sami po górach.
sam
alone / himself (emphatic) / pure / nothing but
góra
mountain
po
along, on (a surface)
wędrować
to wander
Questions & Answers about Wędrowali sami po górach.
Why do we use po górach here instead of w górach?
Using po with the Locative case describes moving "around", "all over", or "across" an area. If they were simply located in the mountains, you would use w górach (in the mountains). Wędrować po górach emphasizes the physical act of wandering throughout the mountain range.
What case is górach and how is it formed?
It is the Locative plural form of góra (mountain). The preposition po takes the Locative case when talking about moving around a space. For almost all Polish nouns, the Locative plural is formed by adding the ending -ach.
Why is the word for "alone" sami instead of same?
Sami is the masculine personal plural form of sam (alone / by oneself). This tells us that the group wandering included at least one male. If the group consisted entirely of women, children, or animals, you would use the non-masculine personal form same.
How does the verb wędrowali reflect who is in the group?
Just like sami, the verb ending -li tells us the subject is a masculine personal plural group. If the group had no men, the sentence would change to Wędrowały same po górach.