Learn Hardcore Polish: Przed domem jest drzewo. - There is a tree in front of the house.

Przed is a preposition meaning “in front of” when you talk about physical location. It can also mean “before” in time, but here it simply tells you where something is placed relative to the house.

Why is domem in that form instead of dom or domu?

After the preposition przed (when it indicates location), Polish requires the instrumental case. The base noun dom (house) becomes domem in the instrumental.
• Nominative (subject): dom
• Instrumental (with przed): domem

Why is drzewo in the nominative case here?

In Polish, when you say “there is/are…” with jest (singular) or są (plural), the thing that exists stays in the nominative case. That’s because jest is a form of być (“to be”), and in existential sentences Polish treats the noun like a subject, not an object.

Why do we use jest and not są in this sentence?

We use jest (3rd person singular of być) because we’re talking about one tree:
• One tree → Przed domem jest drzewo.
• More trees → Przed domem są drzewa. (you’d switch to plural są)

Is it possible to say Drzewo jest przed domem instead?

Yes, you can.
• Przed domem jest drzewo. is the neutral, most common order for existential sentences.
• Drzewo jest przed domem. shifts the focus onto the tree (“The tree is in front of the house”), so it sounds a bit more emphatic or like an answer to “Where is the tree?”

Why aren’t there any words for “a” or “the” in this Polish sentence?

Polish does not use articles (no equivalents of a, an, or the). Context tells you whether you mean “a tree,” “the tree,” or just “tree” in general. In English we need articles, but in Polish you simply omit them.

How would you say “There are two trees in front of the house” in Polish?

You’d switch to plural and use the correct numeral form:
Przed domem są dwa drzewa.
Here:
• są – plural of jest
• dwa – “two” in nominative (agrees with drzewa)