Breakdown of To ten wspólnik, któremu ufam.
to
this
ten
this (m)
który
which, who (relative)
ufać
to trust
wspólnik
the partner (m)
Questions & Answers about To ten wspólnik, któremu ufam.
Why is the relative pronoun in the form któremu here instead of który or którego?
The form of the relative pronoun depends on the verb inside its own part of the sentence (the relative clause). The verb ufać (to trust) always requires its object to be in the Dative case. Since it refers back to wspólnik (a masculine singular noun), we must use the masculine singular Dative form of który, which is któremu.
In English, we can just say "the partner I trust," leaving out "whom." Can I drop któremu in Polish?
No, Polish is much stricter about this. You can never drop the relative pronoun. You must also always place a comma right before it to separate the main sentence from the relative clause.
Why isn't there a preposition before któremu?
The verb ufać connects directly to its object using the Dative case, without any preposition. If we were using a verb that did need a preposition, like polegać na (to rely on), then the preposition would jump right in front of the relative pronoun, taking the case it governs: to ten wspólnik, na którym polegam (this is the partner on whom I rely).
Could wspólnik be used to talk about a romantic partner?
No, wspólnik is strictly a business partner, a professional associate, or even a partner in crime (an accomplice). If you mean a romantic partner, you would use partner (for a man) or partnerka (for a woman).
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