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W komisji było wczoraj siedmiu polityków.

W komisji było wczoraj siedmiu polityków.
There were seven politicians in the commission yesterday.
From Lesson 254:Agreement with five or more·Polish

Questions & Answers about W komisji było wczoraj siedmiu polityków.

Why does the sentence use the neuter singular verb było (it was) for seven politicians?
This is the main rule for numbers 5 and above! When a subject has a number from 5 onwards, the group is treated as a single quantity rather than multiple individuals. In the past tense, this means the verb must be in the third-person neuter singular form (było).
Why is the number seven written as siedmiu instead of the standard siedem?
Because polityk (politician) is a masculine personal noun. In Polish, numbers 5 and above take a special form (like siedmiu, pięciu, dziesięciu) when counting men or mixed-gender groups. If you were counting objects or women, you would use the standard form: siedem stołów (seven tables) or siedem kobiet (seven women).
Why is the noun polityków in the genitive case?
Numbers 5 and above always force the noun they are counting into the genitive plural. You can think of it as saying a group of seven of politicians.
I see w komisji. Why does komisja end in -ji here?
The preposition w (meaning in or at a location) requires the locative case. For feminine nouns ending in -ja (like komisja), the locative ending becomes -ji.

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