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Multiple genitive case question



learningThreads: 20
Posts: 79
Joined: Jan 18, 08 		  May 8, 08, 14:22 /  #
The son of the father of a large company.
Syn ojca firmy

Hey I was wondering, if you were to translate this sentence, would father and large company both be genitive? And son would be Nominative. But would the son be of the company, or would the father be of the company in this case? I want it to descend in the sense (The son of the (father of the company)). I hope I am understandable.

Can you translate it correctly as well?

Also things like, the brightness of the light of dawn. (how would u translate that)
Dzięki.
z_dariusThreads: 22
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Joined: Oct 18, 07 		  May 8, 08, 14:25 /  #
You got it correct.
learningThreads: 20
Posts: 79
Joined: Jan 18, 08 		  May 8, 08, 14:41 /  #
So there is no confusion on what the company is describing. (should be father, not the son)
z_dariusThreads: 22
Posts: 5,091
Joined: Oct 18, 07 		  May 8, 08, 14:44 /  #
learning:

So there is no confusion on what the company is describing. (should be father, not the son)

now I'm lost
learningThreads: 20
Posts: 79
Joined: Jan 18, 08 		Edited by: learning   May 8, 08, 14:48 /  #
I was wondering, if in syn ojca firmy, it reads, son of father of company.. but would it be understood as son of father and son of company, or son of father (who is of company). who being the father...

Yes, I feel like I'm digging a hole of confusion lol.
z_dariusThreads: 22
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Joined: Oct 18, 07 		  May 8, 08, 14:56 /  #
It means what you wrote originally.

The only thing is that it could be argued that, both in Polish and in English, "The son of the father of the company", means that the son is the company. Although to keep that meaning in Polish "son" would have to be changed into "daughter".
KrzysztofThreads: 2
Posts: 1,146
Joined: Jul 26, 07 		  May 8, 08, 19:27 /  #
learning:
the brightness of the light of dawn. (how would u translate that)

jasność światła poranka?
trix   May 10, 08, 14:49 /  #
z_darius:
"The son of the father of the company", means that the son is the company.

Why? The father can be a father to both son and the company :)
osiolThreads: 59
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Joined: Jul 25, 07 		  May 10, 08, 15:09 /  #
A son is normally the son of a father. Don't we just take that for granted in this particular sentence?
z_dariusThreads: 22
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Joined: Oct 18, 07 		  May 10, 08, 15:13 /  #
trix:
Why? The father can be a father to both son and the company :)

The key word here is can.

osiol:
A son is normally the son of a father.

Most sons have mothers too.

There were ones without mothers, and some without fathers, but that's another long, long story.
osiolThreads: 59
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Joined: Jul 25, 07 		  May 10, 08, 15:18 /  #
z_darius:
Most sons have mothers too.

Akurat!
Akurat?

Should that have the question mark or not?

z_darius:
The key word here is can.

Ambiguity in language is an inevitability.
z_dariusThreads: 22
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Joined: Oct 18, 07 		  May 10, 08, 15:22 /  #
osiol:
Akurat!

Oh no! Not another messiah!
osiolThreads: 59
Posts: 4,714
Joined: Jul 25, 07 		Edited by: osiol   May 10, 08, 15:29 /  #
Jesteś produkując... sera?

This donkey quite obviously needs help.
There's a bit of genitive there, right?

I should have thought about the father of the cheesemaker of the cheese of the goat of the...
z_dariusThreads: 22
Posts: 5,091
Joined: Oct 18, 07 		Edited by: z_darius   May 10, 08, 15:34 /  #
osiol:
Jesteś produkując... sera?

This donkey quite obviously needs help.
There's a bit of genitive there, right?

oops :)
osiolThreads: 59
Posts: 4,714
Joined: Jul 25, 07 		  May 10, 08, 15:40 /  #
Okay, I'm going to go back to some more simple stuff. I'm obviously trying to bite off more than I can chew and I'm way out of my depth.

Does dziękuję mean thankyou?
trix   May 11, 08, 13:38 /  #
z_darius:
The key word here is can.


In your earlier post you stated that it 'means', not 'could mean', that the son is the company. I just wanted to lighten up this issue a bit :)
osiolThreads: 59
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Joined: Jul 25, 07 		  May 11, 08, 13:41 /  #
Something can mean something. It just could mean something else as well.
MichalThreads: -
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Joined: Feb 27, 07 		  May 12, 08, 11:31 /  #
learning:
The son of the father of a large company.
Syn ojca firmy

The grammar is correct but it sounds odd as the sentence in the first place is odd and not very good English. When does someone say 'son of the father of a large company?' Do you mean in the sense 'my father started our present day large firm?
Mój ojciec otworzył firmę, która dzisiaj prosperuje i jest duża'.
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