Word
Matura to był trudny moment, kiedy chciałem pójść na studia.
Meaning
The high school exit exam was a difficult moment when I wanted to go to university.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Matura to był trudny moment, kiedy chciałem pójść na studia.
być
to be
chcieć
to want
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
to
is (linking copula)
Questions & Answers about Matura to był trudny moment, kiedy chciałem pójść na studia.
Since matura is a feminine noun, why does the verb say był (masculine) instead of była?
The structure here is [Noun 1] to [Noun 2]. In this specific pattern, the past tense of the verb być (to be) always agrees with the second noun, not the first! Since the second noun is moment (a masculine noun), the verb must take the masculine form był.
Why is kiedy used here instead of w którym (in which)?
In Polish, kiedy (when) can act as a relative pronoun to describe a noun related to time, just like in English. You could also use the prepositional phrase w którym (in which), but kiedy is more natural and direct for time-related words like moment, czas (time), or dzień (day).
What exactly is a matura?
Matura is the standardized national exam Polish students take at the end of high school. Passing it is essential for getting into university, making it a very stressful and important milestone, similar to A-Levels in the UK or the SAT/ACT in the US.
Why do we use the preposition na in pójść na studia instead of do?