……
Breakdown of Wysoki budynek ma dziesięć pięter.
mieć
to have
dziesięć
ten
wysoki
tall
budynek
the building
piętro
the floor
Questions & Answers about Wysoki budynek ma dziesięć pięter.
Why is there no word for the or a before wysoki budynek?
Polish does not have articles like the or a. You simply say wysoki budynek, and context tells you if it’s definite or indefinite.
Why is the adjective wysoki and not wysokie?
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.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Polish grammar?”
Polish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning PolishMaster Polish — from Wysoki budynek ma dziesięć pięter 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