Za domem jest wąska ulica.

to be

Breakdown of Za domem jest wąska ulica.

• dom: the house
• ulica: the street
• za: behind

Questions & Answers about Za domem jest wąska ulica.

Why is domem in the instrumental case after za?

The preposition za meaning behind (in a spatial sense) always takes the instrumental case to show location. So dom (nominative) becomes domem (instrumental) when you say za domem.

Why is wąska ulica in the nominative case?

In existential sentences with jest (“there is/there are”), the noun phrase stays in the nominative case. Here you’re introducing a thing that exists at a place: Za domem jest wąska ulica means “Behind the house there is a narrow street.” Both wąska and ulica are therefore nominative.

How does the adjective wąska agree with ulica?

Polish adjectives agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case. Ulica is feminine (gender), singular (number), nominative (case), so the masculine adjective wąski changes to wąska to match.

Could I drop jest and say Za domem wąska ulica?

Standard Polish requires jest (a form of być) in existential constructions. Omitting it makes the sentence sound incomplete. However, in headlines or very informal speech you might occasionally see it left out, but it’s not recommended for everyday usage.