Breakdown of Jesteś chory? Przykro mi.
być
to be
chory
sick
przykro mi
I'm sorry (sympathy); I feel bad about it
Questions & Answers about Jesteś chory? Przykro mi.
Why is chory in the nominative case here instead of the instrumental?
When you use the verb być (to be) with just an adjective, the adjective stays in the basic nominative case. You only use the instrumental case when być is followed by a noun, for example: Jesteś lekarzem (You are a doctor).
How would this sentence change if I were speaking to a woman?
What does przykro mi literally mean and how does the grammar work?
Literally, it means 'it is unpleasant to me'. Przykro is an adverb, and mi is the dative form of ja (I) used for indirect objects. Polish often uses this structure to express physical or emotional feelings, similar to zimno mi (I am cold) or smutno mi (I am sad).
Could I say Przepraszam instead of Przykro mi to say 'I am sorry' here?
No, przepraszam is used when you are apologizing for a mistake you made, like stepping on someone's foot. When you want to show sympathy because something bad happened to someone else, you must use przykro mi.
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