Log inSign up

Kiedy jestem chory, boli mnie gardło.

Kiedy jestem chory, boli mnie gardło.
When I am ill, my throat hurts.
From Lesson 129:Body: torso and limbs (plecy, kolano)·Polish

Breakdown of Kiedy jestem chory, boli mnie gardło.

być
to be
chory
sick
kiedy
when
boleć
to hurt, to ache
gardło
throat

Questions & Answers about Kiedy jestem chory, boli mnie gardło.

Why is chory used here instead of the instrumental case? Doesn't the verb być (to be) take the instrumental?
You are right that być usually takes the instrumental case, but that rule applies when you use a noun (like 'I am a doctor' - jestem lekarzem). When you use just an adjective to describe a state (like 'I am ill' - jestem chory), it stays in the nominative (dictionary) case.
Does chory change if a woman is speaking?
Yes! Chory is the masculine form, so this sentence is being spoken by a man. If a woman were speaking, she would change the adjective to the feminine form and say kiedy jestem chora.
Why does the Polish sentence say boli mnie gardło instead of using the word for 'my'?
In Polish, when talking about aches and body parts, you rarely use possessive words like 'my' or 'your'. The construction literally translates to 'the throat hurts me'. The throat (gardło) is the subject doing the action, and it hurts the speaker (mnie). It is already obvious that it is your own throat!
What case is mnie in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case. The verb boleć (to hurt) takes a direct object in the accusative case to indicate who is experiencing the pain. The accusative form of ja (I) is mnie.

Learn Kiedy jestem chory, boli mnie gardło 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
Start learning Polish →