Breakdown of Gdziekolwiek jadę, biorę przewodnik.
jechać
to travel
brać
to take (imperf.)
gdziekolwiek
wherever
przewodnik
guidebook
Questions & Answers about Gdziekolwiek jadę, biorę przewodnik.
What exactly does the suffix -kolwiek do in the word gdziekolwiek?
It turns the question word gdzie (where) into the indefinite word gdziekolwiek (wherever, anywhere). You can add -kolwiek to most question words to get this indifference meaning, like kto (who) becoming ktokolwiek (anyone / whoever).
The English translation says 'Wherever I go.' Why does the Polish sentence use jadę (I ride/drive) instead of idę (I walk)?
In Polish, you must specify the mode of transport. Idę implies traveling strictly on foot. Since needing a guidebook usually involves traveling to new cities or countries, jadę is the natural choice because it covers traveling by vehicle (car, train, or bus).
Przewodnik is the direct object of the verb biorę (I take). Why doesn't its ending change?
It actually is in the accusative case (the case used for direct objects). However, because przewodnik is a masculine inanimate noun (a thing, not a person or animal), its accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary form.
Could I swap the order of the two parts of this sentence?
Yes, just like in English, you can flip the clauses. You could say Biorę przewodnik, gdziekolwiek jadę (I take a guidebook wherever I go). The word gdziekolwiek just needs to stay at the beginning of the action it describes.
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