Breakdown of On ma troje rodzeństwa.
on
he / it (m)
mieć
to have
rodzeństwo
siblings
troje
three (collective)
Questions & Answers about On ma troje rodzeństwa.
Why do we use the collective numeral troje here instead of just trzy?
Collective numerals like troje, dwoje, or czworo are used for mixed-gender groups, children, and nouns that only exist in the plural. Since rodzeństwo (siblings) naturally implies a mixed group of brothers and sisters, it requires a collective numeral.
Why is it rodzeństwa? Is that the plural form?
No, it's actually the genitive singular! Unlike the English word "siblings", the Polish word rodzeństwo is a grammatically singular, neuter noun (think of it as "a unit of siblings"). Collective numerals always force the noun that follows them into the genitive case, so rodzeństwo becomes rodzeństwa.
If I know the siblings are all boys or all girls, do I still use troje rodzeństwa?
You can, but it is usually more natural to be specific. If they are all boys, you would say On ma trzech braci (using the masculine-personal number). If they are all girls, you'd say On ma trzy siostry. You use troje rodzeństwa when it is a mixed group, or when you simply don't know or care about their exact genders.
What case is troje in here?
It is in the accusative case, which is what the verb mieć (to have) requires for its direct object. Luckily, for collective numerals like troje, the accusative form looks exactly the same as the basic dictionary (nominative) form.