Breakdown of Jego czerwona torba czeka na niego przy lampie.
na
for
czekać
to wait
lampa
the lamp
czerwony
red
jego
his
torba
the bag
niego
him
przy
by
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Jego czerwona torba czeka na niego przy lampie.
What part of speech is jego in this sentence?
Jego is a third-person singular masculine possessive pronoun, translating to his. It functions like an adjective to show ownership. Unlike regular adjectives, jego is invariable and does not change its ending for gender, number, or case.
Why is there no article before czerwona torba?
Polish does not use definite or indefinite articles such as a, an, or the in English. Nouns stand alone, and definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context or with other words (for example ta torba = that bag, jedna torba = one bag).
How do adjectives agree with nouns, and why does czerwona end with -a?
Adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case.
- Torba is feminine, singular, and in the nominative case (because it’s the subject).
- The feminine singular nominative ending for adjectives is -a, so czerwony (red) becomes czerwona.
Why is the word order jego czerwona torba and not czerwona jego torba?
The normal order for modifiers before a noun is:
- Possessive pronoun (e.g. jego, jej, nasz)
- Adjective (e.g. czerwona)
- Noun (e.g. torba)
Putting jego first sounds natural. Czerwona jego torba is grammatically possible but stylistically awkward and rarely used.
Why is torba in the nominative case?
Torba is the subject of the sentence (“the bag waits”), so it takes the nominative case. The nominative is used for the doer of the action in Polish.
What does the verb czeka mean, and why does it end with -a?
Czeka is the third-person singular present tense of czekać, meaning to wait. In Polish, most first-conjugation verbs add -a for the on/ona/ono (he/she/it) form in the present tense.
Why is the phrase na niego used here instead of dla niego?
The verb czekać (to wait) requires na + accusative to indicate who or what you are waiting for: czekać na kogoś.
Dla + genitive would mean for someone’s benefit, which is a different idea.
What case does the preposition przy require, and why is it lampie instead of lampa?
Przy (meaning at or by) governs the locative case, which is used for locations. The locative form of the feminine noun lampa is lamp-ie, hence przy lampie.
Could you use obok lampy instead of przy lampie? Is there a difference?
Yes. Both express location but with a slight nuance:
- Przy lampie suggests being right at or by the lamp (often touching or immediately beside).
- Obok lampy (“next to the lamp”) simply means beside it, without implying contact.
Where is the stress placed in Polish words like czerwona, torba, and lampie?
Polish has fixed stress on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable:
- czerWOna
- TORba
- LAMpie