- Forum >
- Topic: Polish >
- "Chłopcy są dziećmi."
40 Comments
Cześć, phobe.lim. Both forms are plural for "kid" or "child" in Polish, but "dzieci" is nominative, accusative and genitive, while "dziećmi" is instrumental. The following sentences exemplify their uses:
Nominative: "Dzieci śpią." = "The children are sleeping." Accusative: "Mam dzieci." = "I have children." Genitive: "Nie mam dzieci." = "I don't have children." Instrumental: "Oni są dziećmi." = "They are children."
I hope it was useful and clear. If you have any doubt, please ask.
If I understand everything right, no. If there is at least one male person in a group, it's oni. One is used either when there is no males or when you don't know what gender are them. So, if there are 'children' and no males are mentioned, you use 'one', if it was told there is at least one boy, it is 'oni'.
@yellkaa, I cannot reply directly.
Normally yes, but that depends on the word that was previously used to described that group. If it was neuter (not male personal) , then one stays, if it was male personal, or names, or boys and girls, it's oni;
also I personally would just not use a pronoun when not necessary, and say "to są dzieci" when referencing kids we see.
I do not know. I would just say "to są dzieci" r "są dziećmi" If possible, and or use a pronoun that was used previously. On one hand the pronoun for "children" is "one", on the other the pronoun for "boys and girls" is "oni",
Can someone explain to me why chłopcy follows masculine hard declension when "-c" is a soft consonant?
This is just what I've learned from reading about Polish grammar recently, but I believe it may be the change from pi to p, which is a soft to hard change. Chłopiec has a fleeting "e", which means it disappears with different forms of the word, and then the consonant pi (or p') hardens to p, so pi/e/c -- p/c-. Due to this change in sound, the masculine hard declensions are used.
This page has examples of words like this: http://grzegorj.w.interiowo.pl/gram/en/przypprz.html#8
good answer, I was wondering about this too. STill not completely convinced its not just an irregularity.
unless you want to study Polish grammar and it's history i suggest learning that -c is one of those consonants that may end both masculine end feminine nouns
Well, I'm not sure about your premise. Is "c" really a soft consonant? I mean, it depends on the context, for instance, in "bogaci", "c" is soft because of "i" and its pronunciation is identical to "ć", as in "pięć". On the other hand, "c" is hard in other contexts, like "chłopcy".
Nevertheless, I think I can give you an answer that doesn't depend on the matter above: "c" is part of the stem already. It's present in its singular form "chłopiec". I couldn't find another Polish word that ends with "c" to compare though.
I hear "dziećum". The "-mi" doesn't sound like a real "-mi" in this sentence. The correct pronunciation for dziećmi is /ˈd͡ʑɛt͡ɕ.mʲi/.
I do not understand why "children" is in the instrumental case here. Following the rules for the cases I would have thought it should be in the nominative
That's one of the most important rules - "być" (to be) needs the following noun phrase to use Instrumental. You can read more about it here.
Why in sone excerises "chłopcy" means "boy" but in this excersise it means "boys"?
It is impossible to chłopcy mean "boy" (singular).
Boy is chłopiec/chłopczyk/chłopak (depending on his age and a level of affection).
Boys is usually chłopcy, as chłopaki/chłopczyki is awkward (in Nominative, we use those words with other cases)
Chłopcu is boy in Dative=Locative form of chłopiec.
Does chłopak usually refer to an older one, someone teenage or even young adult? That is how it'd be typically used in Ukrainian.
Yes, exactly. But also boyfriend regardless of age. (But at some point in life some people stop using it, because they feel to adult for this name (like around 40- 60 )
Thank you! And is chłopczyk the youngest, like a pre-teen? Is also dziewczyna for an older one and dziewczynka for a kid? Do you also use dziewczyna as a girlfriend?
Thanks for explaining this...., I was wondering as I'd seen chłopak in some grammar pages and was wondering what that was all about....
I am so sorry I still dont understand the difference between dzieci and dziećmi...can you help please?
"dzieci" - the basic, Nominative form for "children", used mostly for the subject of the sentence: "Dzieci są małe" = "Children are small".
dziećmi - the Instrumental form, used mostly after the preposition "z" ("with") and in sentences like this one here.
I typed it wrong but it got accepted. I appreciate if the answer is not always dismissed, in order to heep one encouraged, but I would like it even better when the correct spelling is pointed out in addition. Thus, one could avoid that one would learn the wrong spelling. Some time it shows such a hint. But more often it shows only the translation.
You mean that you didn't receive a message that you have a typo? What is a 'type what you hear' exercises? There is a bug concerning those...
