Na pierwszym piętrze jest winda i kolorowy korytarz.

On the first floor there is an elevator and a colorful corridor.

Breakdown of Na pierwszym piętrze jest winda i kolorowy korytarz.

• być: to be
• i: and
• na: on
• piętro: the floor
• pierwszy: first
• winda: the elevator
• kolorowy: colorful
• korytarz: the corridor

Questions & Answers about Na pierwszym piętrze jest winda i kolorowy korytarz.

What’s the difference between na pierwsze piętro and na pierwszym piętrze?

• na pierwsze piętro uses the accusative case (pierwsze piętro) after na to express motion to the first floor (e.g. Idę na pierwsze piętro – “I’m going to the first floor”).
• na pierwszym piętrze uses the locative case (pierwszym piętrze) to indicate static location on the first floor (our sentence means “On the first floor there is…”).

Why isn’t there an article like the before winda and kolorowy korytarz?

Polish has no definite or indefinite articles. You simply say winda for “an elevator” or “the elevator” and kolorowy korytarz for “a colorful corridor” or “the colorful corridor.” Context tells you whether it’s specific or general.

Why is the verb jest in the singular form even though two items (winda and kolorowy korytarz) are listed?

In Polish existential sentences (stating that something exists at a location), it’s very common to use singular jest (“there is”) even if multiple things follow, as if you meant “there is an elevator and there is a corridor.” This style is frequent in descriptions and property listings.

Could I use są instead of jest in this sentence?

Yes. Grammatically you can say Na pierwszym piętrze są winda i kolorowy korytarz – “On the first floor there are an elevator and a colorful corridor.” Są is the 3rd-person plural of być (“to be”) matching the two items. However, singular jest remains very idiomatic in many descriptive contexts.

Why does the adjective kolorowy end with –y, and why is korytarz in this form here?

Adjectives in Polish agree with the noun they modify in gender, number and case:

• korytarz is masculine inanimate, singular, nominative, so the adjective also takes the masculine singular nominative ending –y.
• In nominative singular, masculine inanimate nouns typically end in a consonant (here –rz for korytarz).

What is parter, and how does Polish floor numbering compare to English?

• parter is the ground floor in a Polish building.
• The next level up is pierwsze piętro (“first floor”). In British English it matches the “first floor,” but in American English it corresponds to the “second floor” (since Americans call the ground floor the first).

Why do pierwszy and piętro change their endings to pierwszym and piętrze here?

After the preposition na when you express location (no movement), Polish uses the locative case.

• pierwszy (neuter singular) becomes pierwszym in the locative (ending –ym).
• piętro (neuter singular) becomes piętrze in the locative (ending –e).