Jak sie masz -> niezle, doskonale. Wyglada ladnie - grammar questions

Indeed, and people will understand you. But it is considered grammatically incorrect slang (primarily of American origin) to replace adverbs with adjectives. "That hurt really badly" -> "That hurt real bad". An English teacher would mark you down for using such constructs. That's all I meant.

As for your examples of noun phrases with two nouns, I am in agreement with you - the first noun usually takes on the role of adjectival modifier to the second noun. However, this has no bearing on the adjective/adverb issue, as the rules are not the same. I guarantee you that every time you see an adjective that appears to be used as an adverb, it is either grammatically incorrect slang, as above, or actually refers to a noun, such as in the "David is clever" case.

Now I ask, if adjectives can be used as adverbs in grammatically correct speech, why do we even have separate adverbial forms? In your two nouns examples, as you say, there is no adjectival form of "stone", so you have to use stone. But if, as you say, an adjective is being used as an adverb, why not just use the adverbial form of that adjective instead? Wouldn't that make more sense?


*Starts playing a lyre, singing and dancing* Come! Come with me! Come with me to grammarland, where the grass is green, "you're" is never "your", and verbs are always conjugated correctly!

im sorry but it has not been been explained already........

it seems adjectives in english and adjectives in polish have different meanings

zofia looks nice<<<<<<adjective

zofia wygląda ładnie<<<adverb

I bet you have skipped my long post (I'd have done the same if I were you), so just a short explanation:


Q: Jak wygląda Zofia? (Jak - adverbs)
A: Zofia wygląda ładnie (hence the adverb)


and my point was that it [any language] works the other way around - no more need for some forms, constructions etc., so they disappear, but I'm guessing I'm completely wrong, because I don't know the Old English, so I can't say if an adjectival form of "stone" ever existed :)

and also when we say excellent weather or something similar

good book, nice car, beautiful table......the english grammar and polish grammar are the same. we have a adjective first followed by the noun......and translated in to polish it is the same...it is an adjective in its correct gender...followed by the noun...doskonała pogoda<for example

but when changed to a sentence like>>>zofia looks nice >>zofia wygląda ładnei...in english one is an adjective and one is an adverb.....

no wonder i move like a snail learning this GOBBLEDEGOOK / BE£MOT language

Yes, that's it! It's just a silly little difference between languages. There's no rationalisation for it - languages evolve based on common usage, not according to a solid set of rules. The only thing you can do is memorise grammar like this. So think to yourself: "if you want to use wygladac, use an adverb with it". "Zofia looks nicely" doesn't make any sense in English, but it does in Polish, so just roll with it.

I think we're making a mountain out of molehill here.

ok a big THANK YOU to the folk that have posted to my query. Some of your posts have been long and some folk have posted more than once...some very detailed....

all have been appreciated.....and yous will be glad to know im now off to bed

dobranoc folks

But...Zofia jest ładna yet Zofia wygląda ładnie. That is the real difference.

Krzysztof wrote:
: Zofia wygląda ładnie (hence the adverb)

But...Zofia jest ładna yet Zofia wygląda ładnie. That is the real difference.

Zofia wygląda ładnie>adverb..........ZOFIA LOOKS NICE>ADJECTIVE

whats the real difference>NIC chyba

Wait, I can't say 'Wyglądasz ładna'?
That's sort of discouraging that none of my grammar books saying anything about this and considering how long i've been learning Polish, it's kind of sad I didn't know this before

Actually there is a difference


In this case you talk about Zofia's physical beauty


Here, Zofia may not be beautiful, but, lets say, has a really nice dress on and looks better then usual and you would say
Zofia looks nice (in that dress) - Zofia wygląda ładnie (w tej sukni)

That is incorrect.
"Fast" is both an adjective and an adverb. "Quickly" is a synonym of "fast", and in fact the original meaning of the word "quick" ("cwic" in OE) had no connotation of speed, or even movement, but of being alive. That meaning (fast) of the word came later.

There is a group of adverbs in the English English know as "flat" or "uninflected". Some were added "-ly" in the weird push towards standardizing the English language (started around 17th century). The process eliminated a large nymber of flat adverbs from commone use, or deemed them incorrect, or decided they were only adjectives (for instance "sure"/"surely").


The use of flat advebs has nothing to do with being American or not. In fact, most flat adverbs predate the dicovery of the New World. Those forms you consider incorrect (americanisms) are actually British English.

as a passing visitor, I found this discussion most beneficial, interesting (and entertaining).
thanks to all who contributed their views.

thanks i started it

ale jestem madry

for a scotsman

You got me. Could do with less of the unnecessary and ostentatious Old English though.


Rubbish. Just because we historically used flat adverbs doesn't mean it's not American today - certainly the only people I hear speaking like this have American accents (though admittedly it might also occur in New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and other English-speaking places I have little experience of).

Why do you imply that only I find these incorrect - or, at the very least, slang? Would you then accept "real bad" as a grammatically correct construct in written language?

Also, you say that flat adverbs are British English because we used them here? Does that mean that "curb" and "tire" are also British English then?

It depends on the angle of view. Another take is to avoid some of the artificial changes ot the language just because a linguist or two have little else to do.


The point is that many of the flat adverbs are correctly used as adverbs in both American and British English. If you have Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage

handy you will be able to find some interesting remarks on the exact subject. Fowler deals with British English. You will also notice that very current Cambridge Dictionary lists "fast" as both an adjective and an adverb.


I never wrote anything about "bad". I referred to a specific example you chose. Still, it would be good to refer to the same dictionary and see that "feel bad" is not listed as slang at all. Not even as americanism.


Again, you are trying to put words in my mouth, while at the same time mixing the subject of inflection and semantics.