Breakdown of Dążymy do tego, żeby nasz styl był nowoczesny.
to
this
być
to be
nasz
our
żeby
so that, in order to
nowoczesny
modern
do
for (purpose)
dążyć
to strive
styl
the style
Questions & Answers about Dążymy do tego, żeby nasz styl był nowoczesny.
Why is tego used before żeby?
The verb dążyć (to strive) requires the preposition do, which must be followed by a noun. Since the thing we are striving for is an entire action or clause (żeby nasz styl był nowoczesny), we use the pronoun to as a placeholder. Because do requires the Genitive case, to becomes tego.
What would happen if we just said dążymy do, żeby without tego?
The sentence would be grammatically incorrect. In Polish, you cannot put a preposition like do immediately before a subordinate clause starting with że or żeby. The pronoun to (declined to tego here) acts as a necessary grammatical bridge between the preposition and the rest of the clause.
If this is an ongoing or future goal, why is the past tense verb był used?
The conjunction żeby (so that / in order to) must be followed by either an infinitive or a past tense verb. Because the subject changes from 'we' (dążymy) in the first half to 'our style' (nasz styl) in the second half, you must use the past tense form (był) that matches the new subject.
Why is nowoczesny in the Nominative case rather than the Instrumental case?
It is a common rule that the verb być (to be) takes the Instrumental case for nouns, like in On jest architektem (He is an architect). However, when an adjective stands alone describing the subject after a form of być, it stays in the Nominative case. Therefore, the adjective nowoczesny simply matches the Nominative subject nasz styl.
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