Breakdown of Nie podlewam kaktusów z powodu wysokiej wilgotności.
nie
no / not
wysoki
tall / high (of a fee/price)
z powodu
due to
podlewać
to water
kaktus
cactus
wilgotność
humidity
Questions & Answers about Nie podlewam kaktusów z powodu wysokiej wilgotności.
Why use z powodu here instead of just przez?
Both can translate to "because of" or "due to", but z powodu is slightly more formal and is specifically used to state a direct cause or reason (literally "from the reason of"). It is always followed by the Genitive case, which is why we see wysokiej wilgotności here.
Why is the word for cacti in the form kaktusów instead of kaktusy?
Normally, the direct object of a verb like podlewać (to water) takes the Accusative case, which for inanimate plural objects like cacti would be kaktusy. However, the verb is negated (nie podlewam). In Polish, negating a direct object verb forces the object into the Genitive case. The Genitive plural of kaktus is kaktusów.
What gender is the word wilgotności and why does it look like this?
It is feminine. The base dictionary form is wilgotność (humidity). Most abstract nouns ending in -ość are feminine. Because the phrase z powodu requires the Genitive case, wilgotność changes to wilgotności, and its adjective also takes the feminine Genitive ending -ej (wysokiej).
Could I use podleję instead of podlewam in this sentence?
It would change the tense and meaning. Podlewam is imperfective, meaning "I am not watering" (right now, or as a general habit). Podleję is perfective and refers to a completed action in the future. Saying nie podleję would mean "I will not water".
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