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Unika się pustych kalorii.

Unika się pustych kalorii.
One avoids empty calories.
From Lesson 327:Impersonal subjects (się)·Polish

Breakdown of Unika się pustych kalorii.

się
oneself
unikać
to avoid
pusty
empty
kaloria
calorie

Questions & Answers about Unika się pustych kalorii.

Why is się used here instead of a pronoun like ktoś (someone)?
The combination of a third-person singular verb (unika) and się creates an impersonal construction. It translates to "one avoids," "people avoid," or a general "you avoid." This is the most natural way in Polish to state a general rule, habit, or piece of advice without pointing to a specific person.
Why is the phrase pustych kalorii in the genitive case instead of the accusative?
The verb unikać (to avoid) is one of the specific Polish verbs that always requires its object to be in the genitive case. Even though "empty calories" is the direct target of the action, you must use the genitive (pustych kalorii) rather than the accusative. Other common verbs that do this include szukać (to look for) and słuchać (to listen to).
Why does the word kalorii end in a double -ii?
The base form is kaloria, which is a feminine noun of foreign origin ending in -ria. In Polish, these types of borrowed nouns take a double -ii in both the genitive singular and the genitive plural. Here, it is the genitive plural form.
Could I change the word order to Się unika pustych kalorii?
No, there is a strict rule in Polish that the pronoun się can never be the very first word in a sentence. The current order is the most neutral. If you wanted to emphasize the calories, you could put them first and say Pustych kalorii się unika.

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