15 Comments
Would "foot" be correct as well as "leg"? In Russian noga is the same word for both, and ruka is the same word for "arm" and "hand." Strange, I know!
We generally have separate words for those, "noga" and "stopa". "Stopa" is a normal word in wide use, but theoretically you could just be imprecise in saying which part of body is in pain, for example.
Also "football" is "piłka nożna", so really "legball".
The word futbol (football) is used only to avoid repeating piłka, piłka nożna to many times.
However, when it comes to volleyball no one says wolejbal.
Besides, when we have a phrase: noun + adj, we can often skip adjective. Same goes with city names. When we derive adjectives from n+a we usually modify noun and skip adjective, whereas in case a+n we most likely do: a+-o-+n:
- Kamieniec Podolski - adj. kamieniecki
- Mińsk Mazowiecki - adj. miński (rare. mińskomazowiecki)
- Niżny Nowogród - adj. niżnonowogrodzki
- Nowa Wieś - nowowiejski
- Siemianowice Śląskie - siemianowicki
- Tarnowskie Góry - tarnogórski
Besides. When I see Russian text I see that they choose different way of incorporating loanwords into language:
football: футбол (futbol) : piłka nożna
iceberg: айсберг (ajsbierg) : góra lodowa
basketball: баскетбол (baskietbol) : koszykówka (rare: piłka koszykowa)
web page, website: сайт , strona internetowa
Feldmarschall: Фельдмаршал : marszałek polny (polowy)
Well, technically that's "Czyja jest ta noga?", but that doesn't sound very natural to me (although it's correct)... so yeah, I guess it makes sense. Added now.
A common phrase to be said, when you are sitting around a table with a bunch of people and accidentally touch some else's foot with your own :P
Technically, "noga" means 'a leg' and "stopa" means 'a foot', but in colloquial language noga can refer to both, leg and foot.
Because {ta noga} means "this leg," making the sentence, "Whose this leg?" missing a verb. If you add the verb back in, it would be, Czyja jest ta noga? meaning "Whose is {this leg}?"
The Polish word „to” meaning "this" or "it" is used as a verb "this is" or "it's." Czyja to noga? meaning "Whose leg {is this}/{is it}?"
