Breakdown of Komik jest bezczelny i obraża się na nią.
być
to be
i
and
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
komik
the comedian
bezczelny
insolent
nią
her / it (accusative after preposition)
obrażać się
to get offended
Questions & Answers about Komik jest bezczelny i obraża się na nią.
Why do we use nią instead of ją here?
Both words represent the feminine accusative pronoun (meaning "her" or "it"). However, whenever a pronoun directly follows a preposition like na, Polish requires you to use its "n-form" for easier pronunciation. Therefore, the standard clitic ją turns into nią.
The translation says "at it", but doesn't nią mean "her"?
It can mean either! Polish assigns a grammatical gender to every noun. If the comedian is offended by something that happens to be a feminine noun in Polish—such as uwaga (remark) or sytuacja (situation)—you must use the feminine pronoun nią. English simply translates this inanimate object as "it".
Does the verb obrażać się always use the preposition na?
Yes, when you want to express getting offended at or by someone or something, Polish uses obrażać się na followed by the accusative case. It helps to imagine projecting your bad mood "onto" (na) the thing that offended you.
Could we change the word order and put się at the very end of the sentence?
It sounds very unnatural to do so. The reflexive pronoun się is a "weak" word (a clitic) and should generally not be left dangling at the very end of a sentence if there's a better place for it. Placing it right after the verb (obraża się) is the standard, natural position here.
Learn Komik jest bezczelny i obraża się na nią and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free