Word
Zestaw nie jest kompletny, ponieważ brakuje nam instrukcji.
Meaning
The set is not complete because we are missing the manual.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Zestaw nie jest kompletny, ponieważ brakuje nam instrukcji.
być
to be
nie
no / not
my
we
brakować
to lack / to be missing
Questions & Answers about Zestaw nie jest kompletny, ponieważ brakuje nam instrukcji.
Why does the sentence say brakuje nam instead of using the word my (we)?
The verb brakować (to be missing or lacking) uses an impersonal construction. Instead of saying "we are missing something," Polish phrases it as "it is lacking to us." The person experiencing the lack takes the Dative case, which is why the pronoun my (we) becomes nam (to us).
Why is the word for manual instrukcji instead of its dictionary form instrukcja?
The verb brakować always requires the missing object to be in the Genitive case. Because instrukcja is a feminine noun ending in -cja, its Genitive ending changes to -cji, resulting in instrukcji.
English often uses the plural word "instructions." Is instrukcji singular or plural in this sentence?
It can actually be either! The singular Genitive form of instrukcja is instrukcji. Coincidentally, the plural Genitive form is also instrukcji. In this context, it refers to a single manual or instruction booklet, but the word would look exactly the same if you were missing multiple instructions.
Could I use the word bo instead of ponieważ?