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- Topic: Polish >
- "Jestem za drzwiami."
22 Comments
2009
So, is drzwi plural in form, but singular in meaning? This -ami ending would generally be plural, wouldn't it?
Actually, the same. Even one 'door' is already plural (pluralia tantum) in Polish, so adding the second door doesn't change anything.
- 436
The drop-down translation (at least on the web version) says that 'drzwiami' is locative. According to Wiktionary, however, the locative is 'drzwiach.' Am I missing something?
No, the hints were indeed wrong. Fixed now (may take some time to implement).
It is a good habit to double-check the declension on Wiktionary, especially that the hints do not necessarily apply to the sentence you see at the moment, but to the word itself. Or sometimes there's just a mistake.
- 333
Why is it using the "Ami" (instrumental plural form) since it is indicating location after the preposition (za) shouldn't be in (Locative plural form) "Ach"?
Despite its name, Locative is not only used for denoting location (one of its main usages is after "o" meaning "about"), and it's also not the only case used for location, actually. A portion of quite basic prepositions describing location takes Instrumental. "za" is one of those.
- 333
Does that mean that the preposition "za" should be always be followed by a noun in the "instrumental form" ? While in the "Locative case" not all prepositions should be followed by the locative case ending even though it is indicating location or "about". Like "Do" and "Po"? It is a bit confusing, sometimes after the "Do" the noun takes the Genitive case while on other sentence structures it uses the Locative case. Thank you for your reply and hoping for any further answers.
A preposition in general can take different cases depending on its exact meaning in the given context.
The basic meaning of "za" is "behind" (Something is behind something), and that takes Locative.
Then you can have movement 'to behind', so to say. For example "I am going behind the house" (I was at the front and I am moving to the area behind the house). This takes Accusative.
Polish Wiktionary mentions 8 other usages of "za" ;) Just like in English those 'small words' can have multiple meanings.
"do", on the other hand, unless I'm forgetting something, takes Genitive in any context.
I am at the door should be accepted since that is literally what this means ion better idiomatic English
That's rather "przy drzwiach". "za" is really "behind" and it doesn't suit every context in which you are 'at the door'.
- 305
shoudn't it be "behind the doors" instead of door (Pl.)? Is "drzwiami" Plural Instrumental?
Polish word "drzwi" is 'plurale tantum', it's always plural. Both "behind the door" and "behind the doors" are correct, although logically I think that "door" makes more sense.
