Ona czyta gazetę o południu.

She reads a newspaper at noon.

Breakdown of Ona czyta gazetę o południu.

• ona: she
• czytać: to read
• gazeta: the newspaper
• o południu: at noon

Questions & Answers about Ona czyta gazetę o południu.

What does Ona mean in this sentence?

Ona means “she.” It’s the third-person feminine pronoun indicating who is doing the action. In Polish you can drop it because the verb ending already shows the subject, but it’s used here for clarity or emphasis.

Why does gazeta become gazetę?

Gazeta is a feminine noun. As the direct object of a transitive verb, it takes the accusative case, and feminine singular accusative ends in -ę, giving gazetę.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before gazetę?

Polish has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context, so “she reads a newspaper” or “she reads the newspaper” both translate simply with gazetę.

What case is południu, and why is it used here?

Południu is the locative case of południe (“noon”). After the preposition o you use the locative to specify time, so o południu = “at noon.”

What does the preposition o indicate in o południu?

With time expressions, o means “at” or “around.” So o południu translates as “at noon” or “around midday.”

How do you pronounce południu?

In IPA: /pɔˈwu tɲu/
– ł is like English “w.”
– ń is a soft “n,” similar to the “ny” in “canyon.”

What’s the difference between o południu, w południe, and po południu?

• o południu = at or around noon (general time)
• w południe = exactly at noon (on the dot)
• po południu = after noon, i.e. in the afternoon

Why is the verb czyta in this form?

Czyta is the third-person singular present tense of czytać (“to read”), matching the subject ona (“she”).

Can we omit Ona and say Czyta gazetę o południu?

Yes. Polish often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who’s doing it. It would still mean “She reads the newspaper at noon.”