Questions & Answers about Dzieci biegają na dworze.
What is the grammatical function of dzieci in this sentence?
Why does biegają end in -ają, and what does that ending indicate?
The ending -ają signals:
• 3rd person (they)
• plural
• present tense
It comes from the imperfective verb biegać (‘to run’), so biegają means either “they are running (right now)” or “they run (regularly).”
What case is dworze in, and why is it used here?
dworze is the locative case of dwór (‘court/yard’). With the preposition na, when you want to express location (where something happens), you use the locative:
dwór (nom.) → dworze (loc.) → na dworze (“at the yard” → “outside”).
Why is the preposition na used instead of w with dworze?
How is na dworze different from na zewnątrz?
Both translate as “outside,” but:
• na dworze is more idiomatic/colloquial for “outdoors” or “in the yard.”
• na zewnątrz is a bit more formal or neutral for “outside” the building.
How would you ask “Are the children running outside?” in Polish?
By adding czy at the start for a yes/no question:
Czy dzieci biegają na dworze?
Informally you can omit czy and rely on intonation.
How do you pronounce dzieci biegają na dworze?
Approximate pronunciation:
• dzieci – [DJEH-chee]
• biegają – [BYEH-gah-yo] (stress on ga)
• na dworze – [nah DVOH-zheh] (stress on wo)
How would you express “The children were running outside” (past tense)?
Use the imperfective past plural:
Dzieci biegały na dworze.
Because dzieci is non-masculine-personal, the past ending is -ały (not -ali).
Can biegają imply both an ongoing action and a habitual action?
Yes. As an imperfective form, biegają can mean:
• “They are running” (right now)
• “They run” (habitually or regularly)
What’s the difference between dwór and podwórko, since both can mean “yard”?
• dwór historically meant a manor’s courtyard; na dworze is now a general phrase for “outdoors.”
• podwórko is a diminutive meaning a small courtyard or backyard. You could say Dzieci biegają na podwórku to emphasize a domestic yard.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning PolishMaster Polish — from Dzieci biegają na dworze to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions