Na przystanku widzę trzy osoby z miękkimi torbami.

At the bus stop I see three people with soft bags.

Breakdown of Na przystanku widzę trzy osoby z miękkimi torbami.

• ja: I
• na: at
• widzieć: to see
• z: with
• torba: the bag
• przystanek: the bus stop
• trzy: three
• osoba: the person
• miękki: soft

Questions & Answers about Na przystanku widzę trzy osoby z miękkimi torbami.

What does Na przystanku mean, and why is na used here instead of przy or w?

• Na przystanku literally means “at the stop” or “on the bus-stop platform.”
• The preposition na with the locative case marks location on/at an area or open spot (a platform, a square, a field).
• You can also say przy przystanku (“by the stop”) to stress “next to” the shelter or sign.
• W przystanku would imply being inside something (e.g. inside a closed station), so it sounds odd for an open bus stop.

What case is przystanku in, and how is it formed?

• It’s in the locative singular of przystanek.
• The preposition na (meaning “on/at”) requires the locative.
• Declension:
  • prystanek (nom. sg.) → przystanku (loc. sg.)
  • The ending -ek changes to -ku in locative.

Why is the verb widzę used here instead of patrzę?

• widzę is 1st-person singular present of widzieć, “to see” (i.e. to perceive with the eyes).
• It describes something you notice passively: “I can see three people.”
• patrzę (from patrzeć) means “I am looking (at)”—an active, intentional action: “I’m looking at three people.”
• So widzę trzy osoby = “I see three people,” whereas patrzę na trzy osoby = “I’m looking at three people.”

Why is it trzy osoby and not a genitive form after the number?

• In Polish, cardinal numbers 2, 3, 4 normally combine with a noun in the nominative plural—except masculine personal nouns.
• osoba (feminine) → nominative plural osoby, hence trzy osoby = “three people.”
• Exception: masculine personal nouns (e.g. mężczyzna) take genitive plural after 2–4, e.g. dwóch mężczyzn, not dwa mężczyźni.

What case is miękkimi torbami, and why is it used?

• It’s the instrumental plural of miękka torba (“soft bag”).
• The preposition z meaning “with” requires the instrumental.
• Declension pattern:
  • torba (nom. sg.) → torby (nom. pl.) → torbami (instr. pl.)
  • miękki (m. adj.) → miękka (f. adj.) → miękkimi (instr. pl., feminine)

Why doesn’t Polish use a, an, or the in this sentence?

• Polish has no articles (no direct equivalents of “a/an” or “the”).
• Indefiniteness (“some soft bags”) can be shown with words like jakieś, e.g. z jakimiś miękkimi torbami.
• Definiteness (“the soft bags”) is inferred from context or added with a demonstrative: z tymi miękkimi torbami.

Is it okay to change the word order to Widzę na przystanku trzy osoby z miękkimi torbami?

• Yes. Polish has flexible word order.
• Both
  • Na przystanku widzę trzy osoby z miękkimi torbami
  • Widzę na przystanku trzy osoby z miękkimi torbami
  are correct.
• Shifting elements can highlight different parts:
  • Starting with Na przystanku stresses location.
  • Starting with Widzę focuses on the action of seeing.