Sklep jest niedaleko domu.

Because niedaleko is followed by the genitive case. The basic dictionary form is dom, but after niedaleko it becomes domu.

So:

• dom = house/home
• niedaleko domu = not far from the house/home

This is very common in Polish. Other location words and expressions also often take the genitive.

Niedaleko means not far or nearby. In this sentence, the most natural English equivalent is not far from.

So:

• Sklep jest niedaleko domu. = The shop is not far from the house/home.

You can think of niedaleko domu as one idea: not far from home/the house.

Here it is normally written as one word: niedaleko.

That is the standard spelling in this meaning. Polish learners sometimes expect nie to be separate, but in this expression it is usually written together.

Jest is the 3rd person singular form of być (to be) and means is.

• sklep = the shop
• jest = is
• niedaleko domu = not far from the house/home

So the sentence is built very directly: The shop is not far from the house/home.

In normal, complete Polish sentences, jest is natural here. If you remove it and say Sklep niedaleko domu, it sounds more like a note, label, headline, or an incomplete sentence rather than standard neutral speech.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The noun dom can mean:

• house as a building
• home in a general sense

So niedaleko domu may be understood as:

• not far from the house
• not far from home

Without more context, both are possible.

Sklep is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

The sentence answers the question What is not far from the house?
Answer: Sklep.

So:

• sklep = nominative subject
• domu = genitive after niedaleko

Yes. Polish word order is more flexible than English word order.

For example, you can also say:

• Niedaleko domu jest sklep.

This still means the same thing, but it puts more focus on the location near the house.

The original sentence Sklep jest niedaleko domu is neutral and straightforward.

It is often described as an adverb, but in sentences like this it behaves a lot like a preposition-like expression because it is followed by the genitive.

For a learner, the most useful thing to remember is practical:

• niedaleko + genitive

So you do not need to worry too much about the label at first. The important pattern is:

• niedaleko domu
• niedaleko szkoły
• niedaleko sklepu

Yes. Blisko also means near/close to and also commonly takes the genitive.

So you could say:

• Sklep jest blisko domu.

This means The shop is close to the house/home.

The difference is small:

• blisko = close/near
• niedaleko = not far

In many everyday contexts, they are very similar.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

sklep yest nye-da-LE-ko DO-moo

A few useful points:

• sk in sklep is pronounced clearly, like in English skip
• j in jest sounds like English y in yes
• nie sounds roughly like nye
• stress in Polish usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, so:
  • niedaLEko
  • DOmu