Breakdown of Szef rozmawia z zastępcą, z którym jutro wyjeżdża.
rozmawiać
to talk
z
with
szef
boss (m)
jutro
tomorrow
Questions & Answers about Szef rozmawia z zastępcą, z którym jutro wyjeżdża.
Why do we use z którym here instead of just który?
The relative pronoun który always matches the gender and number of the noun it replaces. Here, it refers to the masculine singular noun zastępcą (deputy). However, its case is determined by its role in the new clause. Because it follows the preposition z (meaning "with"), it must take the Instrumental case. The masculine singular Instrumental form of który is którym.
Zastępca is a masculine noun, so why does its Instrumental form zastępcą end in -ą like a feminine noun?
Even though zastępca refers to a male deputy, its basic dictionary form ends in -a. In Polish, masculine nouns ending in -a (like kolega or mężczyzna) follow the feminine declension pattern in the singular. That is why it takes the typical feminine -ą ending in the Instrumental case after the preposition z.
There is no pronoun before wyjeżdża. How do we know who is leaving?
Polish frequently drops subject pronouns when the context is clear. The verb wyjeżdża is in the third-person singular, and the subject carries over from the main clause. The boss (szef) is the main subject, so it is understood that he is also the one leaving tomorrow with the deputy.
Could I just say jedzie instead of wyjeżdża?