Breakdown of Moi bracia modlą się przed ołtarzem.
brat
brother
mój
my
przed
in front of (+ Instrumental)
modlić się
to pray
ołtarz
altar
Questions & Answers about Moi bracia modlą się przed ołtarzem.
Why is the plural of "brat" the word "bracia"?
Brat (brother) has a highly irregular mixed declension. Its plural form, bracia, looks like a feminine singular noun because it ends in "-a", but grammatically it acts as a masculine personal (virile) plural noun.
If "bracia" ends in "-a", why does the sentence use "moi" instead of "moje"?
Because bracia refers to a group of men, it requires masculine personal (virile) modifiers, regardless of its unusual "-a" ending. Therefore, you must use the masculine personal pronoun moi (my) rather than the non-masculine personal form moje.
Why is the word for altar in the form "ołtarzem"?
The preposition przed (in front of) is followed by the Instrumental case when it describes a static location where an action is happening. Since ołtarz is a masculine noun, it takes the standard Instrumental ending -em to become ołtarzem.
Why does the verb "modlić się" (to pray) become "modlą się" here?
Modlą się is the third-person plural ("they pray") form of the verb, which matches the plural subject bracia. A common mistake is to confuse it with the singular form modli się ("he/she prays").
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