Breakdown of W ogrodzie bawi się troje dzieci.
dziecko
child
w
in / on (a day)
bawić się
to play / to have fun (e.g. as children do)
ogród
garden
troje
three (collective)
Questions & Answers about W ogrodzie bawi się troje dzieci.
Why do we use troje here instead of the standard number trzy?
Troje is a collective numeral. In Polish, you must use collective numerals rather than standard numbers with a few specific types of words. The most common one you will see is dzieci (children). They are also used for mixed-gender groups and words that only exist in the plural, like drzwi (doors).
Why does the verb bawi look like it is in the singular form? Aren't there three children?
Yes, but Polish grammar treats phrases with collective numerals as a single unit. Whenever the subject of a sentence includes a collective numeral like dwoje, troje, or czworo, the verb must be in the third-person singular. If this sentence were in the past tense, the verb would also take the neuter form: W ogrodzie bawiło się troje dzieci.
What case is the word dzieci in this sentence?
It is in the genitive plural. Collective numerals act a lot like standard numbers from 5 upwards: they force the noun that follows them into the genitive case. Since we are talking about multiple children, the noun becomes the genitive plural dzieci.
Just as a refresher, why does ogród change to ogrodzie here?
Because it follows the preposition w (in) to show a static location, which requires the locative case. The basic word ogród is a masculine noun. In the locative case, the -ód changes to -odzie.
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