Hi, could anyone please give some more information about the pronoun ‘swe’? I understand that it means ‘his’ in English however, I’ve never seen it used before. Is it a shortened version of another pronoun (e.g. jego and go)?
“Swe” is another way of saying “swoje”—so it’s a reflexive pronoun.
The form “swe” is considered archaic or literary. It is mostly used when talking about lofty or romantic things, often while employing metaphors. So you’ll often see things like “swe serce”, “swą miłość” or “swe życie”.
If you use the shorter reflexive form when talking more ordinary things (e.g. clothing items), it might sound a bit comical/ironic.
The short forms decline just like the long reflexive forms (“swój”, “swoja”, “swoje”). The only difference is that the oj / ój in the middle is taken away. You can look it up on Wiktionary: swój - Wiktionary.
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Thanks. I looked up ‘swe’ in the grammar book I’ve been using but this (reflexive possessive) pronoun was not mentioned, only the full versions i.e. swój etc.
English Translation
All Tom wanted was to find a woman who would accept all the love he had to give.
Shouldn’t this be “mogłaby” as it’s about a female?
No, it refers to Tom. It translates as “The only thing Tom wanted, (was) to find a woman, HE COULD give his heart (to).”
Thank you.
I was reading it as “The only thing Tom wanted, (was) to find a woman, who could return his love.”
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