Breakdown of Mój kołnierzyk jest szeroki, więc zaraz mi go zwęzi.
być
to be
mój
my
mi
to me
zaraz
right away
go
him / it
więc
so, therefore
szeroki
wide, broad
zwęzić
to narrow
kołnierzyk
collar
Questions & Answers about Mój kołnierzyk jest szeroki, więc zaraz mi go zwęzi.
Why are the pronouns ordered as mi go and not go mi?
When two short pronouns (clitics) appear together, Polish puts the Dative pronoun (indirect object, answering "to/for whom?") before the Accusative pronoun (direct object, answering "whom/what?"). Therefore, the Dative mi (for me) comes before the Accusative go (it).
Why aren't the pronouns at the end of the sentence, like więc zaraz zwęzi mi go?
A major rule in Polish is to avoid putting short pronouns (like mi, go, cię, or się) at the absolute beginning or absolute end of a clause whenever possible. Tucking them safely in the middle, between the adverb zaraz and the verb zwęzi, sounds much more natural.
Why is the pronoun go used to mean "it" here?
The word kołnierzyk (collar) is a masculine inanimate noun. In Polish, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. Since kołnierzyk is masculine, it takes the masculine Accusative pronoun go, even though in English we just translate it as "it".
Is zwęzi present or future tense?
It is future tense. zwęzi comes from the perfective verb zwęzić (to narrow or take in). Because it is a perfective verb, its simple conjugated form automatically expresses a completed action in the future. Notice how it acts as the direct opposite of the adjective szeroki (wide) used earlier in the sentence!
How do we know who is taking the collar in, since there is no pronoun like on (he) before the verb?
The verb zwęzi is conjugated in the third-person singular form, which can mean "he", "she", or "it" will take it in. Polish frequently drops subject pronouns like on or ona when the context of the conversation already makes it clear who is doing the action (for example, a tailor you were just talking about).
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