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Questions & Answers about Mój brat pracuje w muzeum.
How do I know which form of mój (mój, moja, moje) to use with a noun?
Possessive adjectives in Polish agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify. Use:
- mój before masculine singular nouns (e.g. mój brat)
- moja before feminine singular nouns (e.g. moja siostra)
- moje before neuter singular nouns (e.g. moje dziecko)
- moi for masculine personal plural (e.g. moi przyjaciele)
- moje for non-personal plural or mixed (e.g. moje książki)
Since brat is masculine singular, you choose mój.
Why is mój spelled with an ó instead of an o, and how do I pronounce it?
In modern Polish, ó always represents the sound /u/, identical to u. Historically it was a different vowel, but today:
- mój is pronounced [muj]
- u in other words (e.g. domu) is also [u]
The spelling keeps words distinct in writing (e.g. mój vs moj, the latter doesn’t exist in standard Polish).
Why can’t we drop mój and just say brat pracuje w muzeum like in English?
In English you can sometimes omit “my,” but in Polish you almost always need the possessive adjective when referring to a family member in the singular. Saying brat pracuje alone sounds incomplete or unclear—it doesn’t specify whose brother you mean. Always include mój, moja etc. for clarity.
Why is the verb form pracuje and not pracować or pracuję?
- pracować is the infinitive (to work).
- pracuję (with ę) is 1st person singular present (I work).
- pracuje (without ę) is 3rd person singular present (he/she works).
Since brat = he, you use the 3rd person singular form pracuje.
Does pracuje mean “works” (general habit) or “is working” (right now)?
Polish present tense covers both English simple and continuous aspects. pracuje can mean:
- “He works” (a permanent job or habit)
- “He is working” (right now)
Context or time words clarify the meaning. If you want to stress “right now,” add teraz: Mój brat pracuje teraz w muzeum.
Why is it w muzeum and not do muzeum or na muzeum?
- w means “in/at” a static location (and takes the locative case).
- do means “to” (motion towards) and takes the genitive.
- na often means “on” or “to” for certain fixed phrases, but not with pracować.
Because your brother works inside the museum (no movement implied), you use w muzeum.
What case is muzeum in after the preposition w?
After w (denoting a static location) you use the locative case. muzeum here is locative. Many neuter nouns ending in -um have identical forms for nominative, genitive, dative, locative, and accusative, so muzeum looks the same as its nominative.
Does muzeum change its form in other cases, and how do I decline it?
Neuter nouns ending in -um belong to an indeclinable pattern in most cases:
- Nominative: muzeum
- Genitive: muzeum
- Dative: muzeum
- Accusative: muzeum
- Locative: muzeum
- Instrumental: muzeum
Only the plural nominative/accusative changes to muzea (museums).
Where is the stress in muzeum and pracuje?
Polish words are almost always stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable:
- mu-ZE-um
- pra-CU-je
So place the emphasis accordingly.