Breakdown of Podział spadku był bardzo sprawiedliwy.
być
to be
bardzo
very
sprawiedliwy
fair
spadek
the inheritance
podział
the division
Questions & Answers about Podział spadku był bardzo sprawiedliwy.
Why is the inheritance translated as spadku instead of spadek?
It is in the Genitive case because it means the division OF the inheritance. The dictionary form is spadek. When making it Genitive, two things happen: the letter e drops out (a common rule called the mobile e), and it takes the -u ending common for inanimate masculine nouns, making it spadku.
Doesn't the verb był (was) require the Instrumental case? Why is sprawiedliwy in the Nominative?
The verb być (to be) only requires the Instrumental case when it is followed by a noun, or an adjective and a noun together. Because sprawiedliwy (fair) is just an adjective standing by itself describing the subject, it stays in the Nominative case.
This lesson is about the distributive preposition po. Why isn't it in this sentence?
While the standalone preposition po is not used here, the noun podział (division) contains the prefix po- attached to the word dział (part or section). The distributive po you are studying is used to express exactly this concept of dividing or distributing things into shares.
Is the word spadek related to the verb spadać (to fall)?
Yes, it comes from the exact same root! While spadek means inheritance in this legal context (wealth that falls to you), it is also commonly used to mean a physical fall, drop, or decline, such as a drop in temperature or a decrease in prices.
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