Learn Hardcore Polish: Wysoki budynek ma dziesięć pięter.

Adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Budynek is masculine singular, nominative, so the adjective takes the form wysoki. Wysokie would be neuter singular or plural, which doesn’t match budynek.

Where does the adjective go in relation to the noun—could it be budynek wysoki?

The normal (neutral) order is adjective before noun: wysoki budynek. You can place it after (“budynek wysoki”) for poetic effect or special emphasis, but in everyday speech the adjective usually precedes.

Which case is wysoki budynek in?

It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence (the thing that “has” ten floors).

Why is the verb ma used here?

Ma is the 3rd-person singular present tense of mieć (“to have”). It agrees with the singular subject budynek. If you had a plural subject (e.g. budynki), you’d use mają.

Why is the number dziesięć not inflected?

Cardinal numbers like dziesięć are indeclinable in the nominative and accusative. They keep the same form and govern the case of the noun that follows.

Why is it pięter instead of piętra?

After cardinal numbers 5 and above, Polish uses the genitive plural for the counted noun. The nominative plural of piętro (“floor”) is piętra, but the genitive plural is pięter, so you say dziesięć pięter.

What case is dziesięć pięter in?

Grammatically, it functions as the direct object of ma, which normally takes the accusative. However, because the numeral is 5 or more, the noun shifts to the genitive plural. So you have an accusative slot filled by a numeral phrase with the noun in genitive.

Can I express “ten-story building” in another way?

Yes. You can use a compound adjective: dziesięciopiętrowy budynek. That adjective also agrees with budynek in gender, number, and case.