Word
Przed budynkiem czeka dwoje ludzi.
Meaning
Two people are waiting in front of the building.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Przed budynkiem czeka dwoje ludzi.
budynek
building
czekać
to wait
człowiek
person, human
przed
in front of (+ Instrumental)
Questions & Answers about Przed budynkiem czeka dwoje ludzi.
Why do we use dwoje here instead of normal numbers like dwaj or dwie?
Dwoje is a collective numeral. We use it with the noun ludzie (people) to talk about a mixed-gender group (for example, a man and a woman) or just a general group of people. If it were two men, we would use dwaj mężczyźni (or dwóch mężczyzn), and for two women, dwie kobiety.
Why is the noun ludzi instead of ludzie?
Collective numerals like dwoje, troje, and czworo force the noun that follows them to be in the genitive case. Because of this, the nominative plural ludzie changes to the genitive plural ludzi.
Why is the verb czeka in the singular form when two people are waiting?
In Polish, when a sentence's subject is a collective numeral phrase like dwoje ludzi, the verb acts as if the subject is "an amount" and takes the third-person singular form. So, instead of the plural czekają (they wait), we must use the singular czeka (he/she/it waits).
Why does budynek change to budynkiem?
The preposition przed (in front of) is followed by the instrumental case when it describes a static location (answering the question "where?"). This rule changes the nominative budynek to the instrumental budynkiem.