Questions & Answers about Piotr przyznał się, że zdradził swoją żonę.
Why does the English translation use 'had betrayed' but the Polish sentence just uses the regular past tense zdradził?
This is because Polish doesn't use 'backshifting' in reported speech like English does. In English, reporting an older past event shifts it further into the past (admitted that he had betrayed). In Polish, you simply report the action using the tense that describes when it originally happened. Piotr did it in the past, so we just use the standard past tense zdradził.
Why do we need the word się after przyznał?
The verb for 'to admit' or 'to confess' is przyznać się. If you drop the się, the verb przyznać means to grant or award something, like giving someone a point in a game or a medal. To talk about admitting a mistake or a truth, you must include się.
Why does the sentence use swoją żonę instead of jego żonę?
Swoją is the accusative form of swój, which means 'one's own'. In Polish, when the object belongs to the subject of the clause (here, Piotr), you must use swój. If you said że zdradził jego żonę, it would mean Piotr betrayed another man's wife, not his own!
Can the verb zdradzić be used for other types of betrayal, or just cheating on a partner?
It is used for all kinds of betrayal! While it frequently means to cheat on a romantic partner, you can also use zdradzić to mean betraying a friend, committing treason against a country, or even giving away a secret (zdradzić tajemnicę).