Breakdown of Dlaczego dziwisz się temu pojęciu?
ten
this (m)
dlaczego
why
pojęcie
concept
dziwić się
to be surprised
Questions & Answers about Dlaczego dziwisz się temu pojęciu?
Why is temu pojęciu in the Dative case instead of the Instrumental?
In English, we say we are surprised 'by' something, which might tempt you to use the Instrumental case. However, the Polish verb dziwić się (to be surprised) always requires the Dative case for the thing that causes the surprise.
What is the base form of pojęciu, and why does its Dative form end in -u?
The base (Nominative) form is pojęcie (concept), which is a neuter noun. In the Dative case, most neuter nouns end in -u, so pojęcie becomes pojęciu. Matching this, the neuter pronoun to (this) changes to its Dative form, temu.
What happens if I drop the word się from dziwisz się?
The meaning flips! The reflexive verb dziwić się means 'to be surprised'. If you drop się, the non-reflexive verb dziwić means 'to surprise someone else'. For example, To pojęcie mnie dziwi means 'This concept surprises me'.
How would I change this sentence to ask 'Why are you surprised by everything?'?
You would replace temu pojęciu with the Dative form of wszystko (everything), because the verb dziwić się requires the Dative case. The sentence becomes: Dlaczego dziwisz się wszystkiemu?