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- "Oni nie mają telewizora."
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"Telewizor" is the TV set (the electronic device). "Telewizja" (with "z") is the broadcast system and industry. So, you could say "Oni nie oglądają telewizji, bo nie mają telewizora" = "They don't watch TV, because they don't have a TV set" (note that the second "oni"="they" is omitted in the Polish sentence; actually the first could be omitted as well "Nie oglądają telewizji, bo nie mają telewizora" since the form of the verb implies who is doing the action).
They do not have TV/television (uncountable noun) - Nie mają telewizji
They do not have a/the TV (device - countable noun) - Nie mają telewizora
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this means TV as the medium (they cannot watch the channels), not that they do not own the device. So it would be "Nie mają telewizji".
As I often mention to help understand the distinction, I own a TV set (the device), but I can only watch DVDs on it, as I don't have any channels.
I would say i dont have tv or a tv interchangeably, but in these modern times its possible to have tv via a computer ir such, so i guess rmthe article offers greater precision
2009
Does oni only have one syllable? The way this voice pronounces it, I cannot distinguish it from on.
- 242
I think definitely two syllables! The verb would be different for "on" too ( "ma" rather than "mają"), which might help you to distinguish them.
We often say things like "we don't have television" instead of "we don't have a television" (not using the article as we are referring to the feature rather than the object, though the meaning is the same). As Polish (per my polish wife) does not have a term for the "feature" of TV, I'm not sure if the translation requires an article in this case.
What do you mean by "As Polish does not have a term for the "feature" of TV"
oni nie mają telewizora= they do not have the electronic device called "telewizor", ( a device shaped like a box with a screen that receives electrical signals and changes them into moving images and sound)
"Oni nie mają telewizji" they do not own a TV station, or they live in a place where TV signal cannot be received.
telewizja= the method or business of sending images and sound by electrical signals
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-polish/television
I thought masculine nouns don't change in accusative unless they are personal masculine nouns. Is 'telewizor' a personal masculine noun?
it's genitive, because of negation.
Oni mają telewizor (accusative)
Oni nie mają telewizora (Genitive)
It's perfectly understandable, it's used sometimes (rather in writing than in speech), but I would only use it for "television" as the medium, the broadcasting, than the device.
If you're asking about accepting it in the English answers, yes, you can write "They do not have a TV".
- 1292
Thanks so much. I'll remember that. I'll also make sure to use the full spelling to make sure I remember.
Some Polish TV channels have „TV” in their name, like TVP, TVN or TV4. There is also a popular shortening „RTV” for radio and TV equipment. But outside of those, I don't really see „TV” used much.
Polish TV (phon. te fał) stands for television (telewizja), that is TV technology or TV service.
The TV abbreviation is not used to describe a/the TV set in Poland.
RTV abbreviation is commonly used in a phrase referring to the RTV (Radio and TV) equipment (sprzęt RTV/sprzęt radiowo-telewizyjny).
shortening - tłuszcz cukierniczy, tłuszcz do pieczenia, smalec, ceres
"television" without an article is the medium, not the device. "telewizor" is a device.
