Breakdown of Potrzebuję kopii tego dokumentu i pieczątki.
i
and
ten
this (m)
dokument
document
potrzebować
to need
kopia
copy
pieczątka
stamp
Questions & Answers about Potrzebuję kopii tego dokumentu i pieczątki.
Why are the words kopii, tego dokumentu, and pieczątki all in the genitive case?
The verb potrzebować (to need) always requires its direct object to be in the genitive case, rather than the accusative case that most verbs use. Because you need both a copy and a stamp, both kopia and pieczątka take their genitive forms (kopii, pieczątki).
Why does kopia become kopii with a double 'i' at the end?
For feminine nouns ending in -ia, the genitive ending depends on the consonant that comes right before it. When -ia follows a labial consonant like 'p', 'b', or 'm' (as in kopia), the genitive ending is -ii. This double 'i' tells you to pronounce it as two distinct vowel sounds at the end.
Is tego dokumentu in the genitive case because of the verb potrzebuję or because of the word kopii?
It is genitive because of kopii. It translates to 'of this document.' In this sentence, we have two different reasons for the genitive case stacking up: kopii is genitive because it is the object of potrzebuję (I need), and tego dokumentu is genitive because it shows possession or relation to the copy (a copy of the document).
Why does the masculine noun dokument take an -u ending (dokumentu) in the genitive instead of -a?
Dokument is a masculine inanimate noun. While masculine animate nouns (like people and animals) almost always take -a in the genitive, masculine inanimate nouns are split between -a and -u. Borrowed words, abstract concepts, and certain objects usually take -u, which is why we say dokumentu.
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