Questions & Answers about Śnieg topnieje dniem, więc jest błoto.
How does dniem translate to "by day" without using a preposition?
Dniem is the Instrumental form of dzień (day). In Polish, using the bare Instrumental case is a common way to express when something happens regarding parts of the day or seasons. Just as nocą means "at night", dniem means "by day" or "during the day".
Could I say w dzień instead of dniem here?
Yes, w dzień is very common in everyday speech and means the same thing. However, using the Instrumental dniem sounds a bit more descriptive or atmospheric. It is especially common when describing natural, habitual processes like snow melting, or when contrasting with nocą (at night).
Why is the imperfective verb topnieć used here instead of a perfective verb?
Topnieje (from topnieć) is imperfective because it describes an ongoing process. The snow is continuously melting while the sun is up. If you wanted to state the result that the snow had already finished melting, you would use the perfective form stopnieć (for example, śnieg stopniał).
Why isn't there a word for "there" in the phrase więc jest błoto?