Breakdown of Dlaczego zamykasz te okna?
ten
this (m)
okno
window
dlaczego
why
zamykać
to close (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Dlaczego zamykasz te okna?
How is the imperfective verb zamykać formed from its perfective equivalent?
The perfective verb for "to close" is zamknąć. To create the imperfective zamykać (which gives us the present tense zamykasz), the suffix -nąć is dropped, the verb ending -ać is added, and the stem undergoes a vowel change: an y is inserted to make zamyk-.
Why do we use the imperfective verb zamykasz here instead of a perfective form?
Because the action is happening right now ("Why are you closing..."). In Polish, the present tense is always formed using imperfective verbs. Perfective verbs describe completed actions and can only be used in the past and future tenses.
What case is the phrase te okna in?
It is in the accusative case, because "these windows" are the direct object receiving the action of the verb zamykać. For neuter nouns like okno, the plural accusative form (okna) is identical to the nominative (dictionary) form. The pronoun te (these) perfectly matches this non-virile/neuter plural form.
Could I say Po co zamykasz te okna? instead?
Yes, but it changes the nuance slightly. Dlaczego asks for the cause or reason ("Why are you closing them? Because it's raining outside?"). Po co asks for the purpose or goal ("What for? So the cat won't escape?"). Both are perfectly natural here depending on what exactly you want to know.
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