Breakdown of Możesz wybrać jakikolwiek kierunek.
móc
to be able to
kierunek
the direction
wybrać
to choose (perfective)
jakikolwiek
any
Questions & Answers about Możesz wybrać jakikolwiek kierunek.
Could I use jakiś instead of jakikolwiek in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the meaning. Jakiś kierunek means 'some direction' (a specific but unknown one). Jakikolwiek kierunek means 'any direction at all' or 'whichever direction you like'. The suffix -kolwiek adds that feeling of absolute free choice or indifference.
How do you decline words with the -kolwiek suffix like jakikolwiek?
You only decline the first part of the word (jaki) and simply keep -kolwiek attached to the end. In this sentence, it modifies the masculine inanimate noun kierunek in the accusative case. Because the accusative for masculine inanimate nouns looks just like the nominative, jaki stays jaki, giving us jakikolwiek.
Why doesn't the noun kierunek change its ending if it is the direct object?
As the direct object of wybrać, it is indeed in the accusative case. However, kierunek is a masculine inanimate noun. For inanimate objects and concepts, the accusative form is identical to the nominative (dictionary) form. It would only take an -a ending if it were a masculine animate noun, like an animal or a person.
Why is the perfective verb wybrać used here instead of the imperfective wybierać?