Breakdown of Dziesięcioro uczestników przyjechało wczoraj na obóz.
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
wczoraj
yesterday
przyjechać
to arrive (by vehicle)
dziesięcioro
ten (collective)
Questions & Answers about Dziesięcioro uczestników przyjechało wczoraj na obóz.
Why do we use the collective numeral Dziesięcioro instead of the standard number dziesięć?
Dziesięcioro is a collective numeral. In Polish, we use these for groups of people that include both males and females. If the participants were all male, you would use dziesięciu (or dziesięć if they were all female), but dziesięcioro tells us it is a mixed-gender group.
Why is the noun uczestników in the Genitive case?
Whenever you use a collective numeral as the subject, the noun that follows it must be in the Genitive plural. So, instead of the Nominative plural uczestnicy, we have to use the Genitive plural uczestników.
Why is the verb przyjechało in the neuter singular form? Shouldn't a group of ten people take a plural verb?
This is a strict grammatical rule for collective numerals! When a collective numeral phrase (like dziesięcioro uczestników) is the subject of a sentence, the past tense verb must always be in the neuter singular form (ending in -ło). The verb agrees with the numeral phrase as a single abstract block, not with the individual people.
Why do we say na obóz instead of do obozu?