{"id":3450,"date":"2012-07-29T13:36:49","date_gmt":"2012-07-29T13:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/?p=3450"},"modified":"2012-07-29T16:09:44","modified_gmt":"2012-07-29T16:09:44","slug":"affirmative-and-interrogative-forms-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/affirmative-and-interrogative-forms-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Affirmative and Interrogative forms – Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I will continue\u00a0Affirmative and Interrogative forms \u2013 Part I<\/a>\u00a0post.<\/p>\n

Some questions require interrogative pronouns such as who, when, why, etc. Since word order in Polish is not strictly determined, a speaker is practically free to choose how to ask a question depending on his\/her attitude and the information (s)he is most interested in. Beginner learners of Polish will probably want to start with some basic sentence structures as it can be quite difficult to grasp all the nuances at once.<\/p>\n

The examples below illustrate the following sequence:\u00a0question word + verb (in a correct form) + object<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Co robisz dzisiaj wieczorem?<\/em>\u00a0What are you doing tonight?<\/p>\n

Gdzie mog\u0119 kupi\u0107 koronkowe obrusy?<\/em>\u00a0Where can I buy lace tablecloths?<\/p>\n

Kiedy znalaz\u0142e\u015b now\u0105 prac\u0119?<\/em>\u00a0When did you find a new job?<\/p>\n

Jaki jest jej ulubiony kolor?<\/em>\u00a0What is her favorite color?<\/p>\n

In Polish, some interrogative pronouns have only one form. Others must agree on gender, number, or case with the words they are linked to.<\/p>\n

Invariable question words<\/span><\/p>\n

Gdzie – Where<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gdzie jedziemy w tym roku na wakacje?<\/em><\/p>\n

Where are we going on vacation this year?<\/p>\n

Gdzie oni mieszkaj\u0105?<\/em><\/p>\n

Where do they live?<\/p>\n

Kiedy – When<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kiedy ona wysz\u0142a?<\/em><\/p>\n

When did she leave?<\/p>\n

Kiedy mo\u017cesz mi pom\u00f3c?<\/em><\/p>\n

When can you help me?<\/p>\n

Dlaczego – Why<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dlaczego p\u0142aczesz?<\/em><\/p>\n

Why are you crying?<\/p>\n

Dlaczego ona to zrobi\u0142a?<\/em><\/p>\n

Why did she do that?<\/p>\n

Jak – How<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jak si\u0119 masz?<\/em><\/p>\n

How are you?<\/p>\n

Jak si\u0119 wymawia to s\u0142owo?<\/em><\/p>\n

How does one pronounce this word?<\/p>\n

Polish is considered to be far less melodious than English. In fact, people from English-speaking countries may find the Polish way of speaking monotonous. This is because of different pitch and pronunciation patterns.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, intonation<\/strong> is important in Polish; since the word order in affirmatives and interrogatives is often exactly the same, the tone of voice and accent help speakers to differentiate between them.<\/p>\n

Idziemy do domu.\u2198 ( Affirmative sentence)<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019re going home.<\/p>\n

Idziemy do domu?\u2197 (Question)<\/em>
\nAre we going home?<\/p>\n

Pada \u015bnieg. \u2198<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s snowing.<\/p>\n

Pada \u015bnieg?\u2197<\/em>
\nIs it snowing?<\/p>\n

Kasia by\u0142a ju\u017c w Grecji.\u2198<\/em>
\nKasia has already been to Greece.<\/em><\/p>\n

Kasia by\u0142a ju\u017c w Grecji?\u2197<\/em>
\nHas Kasia been to Greece yet?<\/p>\n

Oni byli wczoraj w domu. \u2198<\/em>
\nThey were at home yesterday.<\/p>\n

Oni byli wczoraj w domu?\u2197<\/em>
\nWere they at home yesterday?<\/p>\n

As illustrated above, Polish yes-no questions usually have rising intonation:<\/span><\/p>\n

Lubisz Kasi\u0119?\u2197
\n<\/em>Do you like Kasia?<\/p>\n

Idziemy do kina?\u2197<\/em><\/p>\n

Are we going to the cinema?<\/p>\n

Czy my si\u0119 znamy?\u2197<\/em><\/p>\n

Do you know each other?<\/p>\n

By contrast, questions beginning with an interrogative pronoun typically have falling intonation:<\/span><\/p>\n

Gdzie by\u0142e\u015b wczoraj?\u2198
\n<\/em>Where were you yesterday?<\/p>\n

Jak mo\u017cemy si\u0119 tam dosta\u0107?\u2198<\/em>
\nHow can we get there?<\/p>\n

Co powinnam zrobi\u0107?\u2198
\n<\/em>What should I do?<\/p>\n

Of course, this is only a general rule. Polish intonation depends heavily on the intentions of a speaker. The best way to learn it is to listen to native speakers and try to notice how they change it to suit different question types and moods.<\/p>\n

And here is a little video to show you the intonation:<\/p>\n