Breakdown of Oni są zmęczeni w trakcie medytacji.
być
to be
oni
they (masculine personal)
zmęczony
tired
medytacja
meditation
w trakcie
during
Questions & Answers about Oni są zmęczeni w trakcie medytacji.
Why is the word for meditation medytacji instead of the dictionary form medytacja?
The phrase w trakcie (meaning 'during' or 'in the course of') always requires the following noun to be in the Genitive case. For the feminine noun medytacja, the Genitive singular is medytacji.
Could I use podczas instead of w trakcie in this sentence?
Yes! Oni są zmęczeni podczas medytacji would mean exactly the same thing. Both podczas and w trakcie mean 'during' and both require the Genitive case. W trakcie can sometimes feel a bit more like 'in the very middle of' an action, but in most everyday contexts they are completely interchangeable.
Why does the adjective take the form zmęczeni instead of zmęczone?
Because the sentence uses the pronoun oni (they), which indicates a masculine personal group (either a group of men, or a mixed-gender group). This requires the masculine personal plural ending for adjectives. If the group consisted entirely of women, children, or animals, you would use the pronoun one and the non-masculine plural adjective zmęczone.
I learned that the verb być (to be) takes the Instrumental case. Why isn't the adjective here in the Instrumental?
That rule only applies when a noun follows the verb być. For example, if you said 'They are tired people', the entire phrase for 'tired people' would be in the Instrumental case. However, when the verb być is followed by only an adjective, as in this sentence, that adjective stays in the Nominative case.
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