Breakdown of Budżet jest mały, dlatego żądam, żebyście zmniejszyli koszty.
być
to be
mały
small
żeby
so that, in order to
dlatego
therefore
koszt
cost
żądać
to demand
zmniejszyć
to reduce
budżet
budget
Questions & Answers about Budżet jest mały, dlatego żądam, żebyście zmniejszyli koszty.
Why does zmniejszyli look like a past tense verb when the English translation says "reduce" in the present or future?
In Polish, when you express a demand or desire for someone else to do something, you use żeby (or a form of it) followed by the past tense form of the verb. Even though zmniejszyli is a past tense form, the combination of żeby and this verb creates a command or wish for the future.
How is żebyście formed in this sentence?
Żebyście is made by combining the conjunction żeby (that) with the personal ending -ście (indicating "you" plural). In these types of sentences, the personal ending detaches from the verb and attaches directly to żeby.
Why is the verb form zmniejszyli instead of zmniejszyły?
Zmniejszyli is the masculine personal form, which means the speaker is addressing a group of people that includes at least one man. If the speaker were demanding this from a group made up entirely of women, the sentence would use żebyście zmniejszyły.
Could I use the infinitive here and say "żądam zmniejszyć" to mean "I demand you to reduce"?
No. Because the person demanding (I) is different from the people doing the reducing (you), you cannot use an infinitive. You must use a new clause starting with żeby (in this case, żebyście) followed by the past-tense form.
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