Za domem jest park.

to be

Breakdown of Za domem jest park.

• dom: the house
• park: the park
• za: behind

Questions & Answers about Za domem jest park.

Why is domem in the instrumental case and not the nominative?

Polish preposition za when describing a static location (meaning “behind” something) requires the instrumental case. So the base noun dom (house) takes the instrumental ending -em to become domem. If you were talking about movement behind something (dynamic meaning), you would use the accusative instead (e.g. Przeskoczyłem za płot – I jumped over the fence).

Why is park in the nominative case after jest?

In this sentence park is the subject of jest (there is). Polish existential constructions with jest use the nominative for the entity that exists or is being introduced. (Note: jest can also take the instrumental for professions or roles, as in Ona jest nauczycielką – She is a teacher.)

Why is jest placed between Za domem and park, instead of at the beginning?

Polish word order is relatively flexible and listeners expect the “old information – verb – new information” pattern. Starting with Za domem (location you already know) and ending with park (new info) follows the natural flow. You could say Park jest za domem to emphasize the park, or in very informal contexts even drop jest: Za domem park (like a short label or headline).

Could I just say Park za domem to mean the same thing?