Questions & Answers about Kupiłam dużo ziemniaków.
Why does the speaker use kupiłam instead of kupiłem?
In the Polish past tense, the verb ending changes based on the gender of the speaker. Kupiłam (ending in -am) tells us the speaker is female. A male speaker would say kupiłem.
Why is the word for potatoes ziemniaków here instead of the standard plural ziemniaki?
In Polish, words expressing a quantity, like dużo (a lot), mało (a little), or trochę (some), force the following noun into the genitive case. Since there are many potatoes, we use the genitive plural form: ziemniaków.
How do we get the ending -ów in ziemniaków?
The base word is ziemniak (a masculine noun ending in a consonant). To form the genitive plural for most masculine nouns, you simply add the ending -ów.
Can I use kupowałam instead of kupiłam in this sentence?
You could, but it would change the meaning. Kupiłam is a perfective verb, meaning the action is completely finished (I bought). Kupowałam is imperfective, which focuses on the ongoing process (I was buying or I used to buy).
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