Breakdown of Marek powiedział, że jego nowy związek to sekret.
nowy
new
to
is (linking copula)
że
that
powiedzieć
to say (perfective)
jego
his, its
sekret
secret
Marek
Mark
związek
relationship (romantic, union)
Questions & Answers about Marek powiedział, że jego nowy związek to sekret.
Why does the Polish sentence use the present tense phrase "to sekret" when the English translation says "was a secret"?
In Polish, reported speech doesn't use "backshifting" like English does. You just report the exact tense the person originally used. Marek originally thought or said, "Mój nowy związek to sekret" (My new relationship is a secret). Therefore, you keep it in the present tense after że, even though the main verb (powiedział) is in the past.
Could I say "...że jego nowy związek jest sekretem" instead?
Yes, absolutely! When linking two nouns (relationship = secret), you can use the word to followed by the Nominative (dictionary) case (to sekret), or the verb jest (is) followed by the Instrumental case (jest sekretem). Both are perfectly natural, but using to is often preferred in everyday speech because it's slightly simpler.
Wait, why do we use jego (his) here instead of swój (his own)? Isn't it Marek's own relationship?
The reflexive pronoun swój always refers to the subject of its own specific clause. In the reported clause after że, the subject is związek (the relationship). Because the relationship doesn't own itself, we have to use jego (his, meaning Marek's). You would only use swój if Marek were the subject of that exact verb, for example: Marek ukrywa swój związek (Marek is hiding his own relationship).
What else can związek mean besides a romantic relationship?
While it commonly means a romantic relationship, związek literally means a "connection," "union," or "association." You will see it in terms like związek zawodowy (trade union) or historical names like Związek Radziecki (Soviet Union). If you want to talk about a platonic relationship or a general connection between people, the word relacja is usually a better choice.
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