Questions & Answers about Mój brat nie uprawia sportu.
Why does the sentence use sportu instead of the accusative form sport?
Because of the word nie! In Polish, when you negate a verb that normally takes the accusative case for its direct object, the noun changes to the genitive case. This important rule is called the genitive of negation.
Why do we use uprawia here instead of robi for "does"?
While English uses the general verb "to do" or "to play" for sports, Polish uses the specific verb uprawiać (which means to practice, cultivate, or engage in). You cannot say robi sport in Polish because it sounds unnatural.
The English translation says "sports" in the plural. Why is sportu based on the singular word sport?
In Polish, when talking about the general activity of exercising or athletics, you use the singular word sport. Using the plural sporty would mean you are talking about specific, distinct types of sports (like basketball, tennis, and swimming combined) rather than the general habit.
How would this sentence change if we removed the word nie?
If your brother does play sports, the sentence becomes Mój brat uprawia sport. Without the negation, the verb goes back to taking the accusative case. For inanimate masculine nouns like sport, the accusative form is exactly the same as the basic dictionary form.
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