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  What it means

  Literally “for an example,” this phrase is a discourse marker equivalent to “for example” or “for instance” in English. It introduces a concrete illustration of a general statement and is common in both spoken and written Polish. Unlike na przykład (abbreviated np.), which is the more common and neutral option, dla przykładu sounds slightly more deliberate and is often used when the speaker wants to draw extra attention to the example being given.

  Vocabulary

  • dla — for (preposition governing genitive)
  • przykład — example (nominative); przykładu (genitive)

  Grammar note

  The preposition *dla* governs the genitive case, so *przykład* (nominative) becomes *przykładu* (genitive). This is a fixed prepositional phrase used as a sentence adverbial; it does not inflect further. Compare with *na przykład* ('for example'), which uses *na* + accusative — *przykład* stays nominative-looking there because *na* in this fixed phrase is frozen.

  Cultural context

  Both *dla przykładu* and *na przykład* are fully interchangeable in meaning, but *na przykład* is far more frequent in everyday speech and formal writing. *Dla przykładu* has a slightly more formal or rhetorical flavour and is more common in presentations or structured arguments. In written Polish, *np.* (the abbreviation of *na przykład*) dominates.

  Beginner

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