12 Comments
"Co to za" is a whole expression where you are askking about the source of sensation (sound, smell). Without "za" this question would translate as "What is a sound?" – as if you've never known a word "sound".
Nice, I like the literal translation: "What is behind that smell, noise, etc.?"
Funny thing is that the literal translation of "to" is never "is". It's not even a verb.
EDIT: I'm also not sure about translating "za" as "behind", since the case doesn't match (and I don't perceive these two meaning close, even if the word is the same).
I guess even if it doesn't actually mean 'behind' in this context it will still help me remember :)
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Some English speakers say "what is behind that...?" to mean what is the cause...I wonder if this turn of phrase is typically Irish?
I don't think so. I can think of two cases when you use phrase "Co to za dźwięk?": 1. when you suddenly hear something strange or perhaps you are frightened by a sound or noise. 2. when you play guessing game. I am not native English speaker, but I don't think you would use expression "What kind of sound is this?" in any of above cases.
Could you not say 'Co jest ten/tamten dźwięk?', or does that not make sense?
