"Ta kobieta zgubiła portfel."

Translation: This woman has lost her wallet.

[Munroist]

I'm just wondering what this is in British English - women here don't have wallets, would it be a purse?

[Jellei]

"Purse" works as well, although a better translation is "portmonetka".

[Munroist]

Thanks :)

[Maksym7683]

W polskim tekście nie ma określenia swój portfel. Dlaczego angielska wersja wymaga wpisu her wallet?

[Jellei]

Bo język polski nie wymaga zaimka dzierżawczego, a język angielski wymaga. Po polsku uznajemy za oczywiste, że zgubiła swój własny portfel, a jeśli jednak zgubiła np. "twój portfel", wtedy to precyzujemy.

[Pandamator]

Why is it her wallet? Isn't it just a wallet?

[Jellei]

Well, one usually loses one's own wallet, not someone else's wallet.

Generally, English uses possessives a lot more than Polish does. That works especially for members of family, but also for objects. If it seems logical that the object belongs to the subject of the sentence, you don't specify it. If the woman lost someone else's wallet, then you specify it.

Also, "a" and "the" are accepted.

[Helen963257]

Zgubiła portfel - why "have list HER.."??

[Jellei]

Well, it's how English works. In English you'd rather say "She lost her wallet", in Polish you just think "well, whose else's wallet could she lose?", so you don't need any word for "her", because it's obvious. Unless she really lost someone else's wallet, in which case you specify it.

[Arnoldpitt]

Why is lady refused it is just a more polite word than woman