Word
Nie ma miłości bez zaufania.
Meaning
There is no love without trust.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Nie ma miłości bez zaufania.
Why is the word for love spelled miłości here?
The dictionary form is miłość, which is a feminine noun ending in a consonant. Because it is the thing that is missing (following nie ma), it must be in the Genitive case. Feminine nouns ending in the soft consonant cluster -ść take the ending -i in the Genitive.
Since miłość ends in a consonant, how can I easily remember that it is feminine and not masculine?
As a very reliable rule, almost all Polish nouns that end in -ść (like miłość, radość for joy, or złość for anger) are feminine. This makes them easy to spot even without a typical feminine -a ending.
Why is the word for trust zaufania instead of zaufanie?
It is also in the Genitive case, but this time it is triggered by the preposition bez (without). The dictionary form zaufanie is a neuter noun, and neuter nouns ending in -e change their ending to -a in the Genitive case.
Does the phrase nie ma always force the noun into the Genitive case?
Yes! Whenever you say that something is missing, not there, or someone doesn't have something using nie ma, the absent thing must take the Genitive case. If you were making a positive statement, you would use the Nominative case: Jest miłość (There is love).