Breakdown of Pan Nowak to gospodarz, a państwo Kowalscy chcą mu się przedstawić.
on
he / it (m)
pan
sir / Mr.
chcieć
to want
państwo
ladies and gentlemen / you (formal plural)
a
and / whereas (contrast)
to
is (linking copula)
Kowalski
Kowalski
Nowak
Nowak
przedstawić się
to introduce oneself
gospodarz
host
Questions & Answers about Pan Nowak to gospodarz, a państwo Kowalscy chcą mu się przedstawić.
Why is it państwo Kowalscy instead of just państwo Kowalski?
Państwo is the plural title used for a married couple or a family (like "Mr. and Mrs."). Surnames ending in -ski act like adjectives, so they must take the plural masculine personal form. Therefore, Kowalski changes to Kowalscy.
What verb form do we use with państwo Kowalscy?
When talking about a couple or family, państwo takes a third-person plural verb, just like oni (they). That is why we use chcą (they want).
Could we say Pan Nowak jest gospodarzem instead of Pan Nowak to gospodarz?
Yes! Both mean "Mr. Nowak is the host." When you use to to link two nouns, the second noun stays in the basic Nominative case (gospodarz). If you use the verb jest, the noun that follows must change to the Instrumental case (gospodarzem).
Why is "and" translated as a instead of i here?
Polish uses a instead of i when there is a shift in focus or a slight contrast. Because the sentence shifts our attention from Mr. Nowak to the Kowalskis, a is the natural choice.
Why do we use the short word mu instead of jemu for "to him"?
Mu is the short, unstressed form of "to him" in the Dative case. We use it here because it sits naturally in the middle of the sentence. You would only use the long form jemu if you wanted to strongly emphasize that they are introducing themselves to him specifically, and not to someone else.
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