Breakdown of Na suficie wisi kolorowa lampa.
na
on
lampa
the lamp
kolorowy
colorful
wisieć
to hang
sufit
the ceiling
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Questions & Answers about Na suficie wisi kolorowa lampa.
What case is suficie and why is it used here?
suficie is the locative form (miejscownik) of sufit (“ceiling”). In Polish, the preposition na when expressing location (“on”) requires the locative case, so we say na suficie for “on the ceiling.”
Why is the preposition na used instead of w?
na denotes “on top of” (a surface), which fits with the idea of something hanging from a ceiling. w means “in” or “inside,” so w suficie would wrongly imply “inside the ceiling.”
What does the verb wisi mean and why is it used here?
wisi is the 3rd person singular present tense of wisieć (“to hang,” intransitive). It describes the state of the lamp: “the lamp is hanging.”
What’s the difference between wisieć and wieszać?
• wisieć (imperfective, intransitive) – describes something hanging by itself (e.g., Obraz wisi na ścianie).
• wieszać (imperfective, transitive) / powiesić (perfective) – means to hang something up (e.g., Wieszam obraz = “I am hanging a picture”).
Why is the adjective kolorowa in this particular form?
kolorowa is the feminine nominative singular of kolorowy (“colorful”). Adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Since lampa is feminine singular and in the nominative case, we use kolorowa.
Why does the adjective kolorowa come before the noun lampa instead of after it?
Polish word order is flexible, but the neutral, unmarked order is adjective–noun (kolorowa lampa). Placing the adjective before the noun sounds most natural. You can put it after for stylistic emphasis (e.g., lampa kolorowa), but that feels marked or poetic.
Why is there no article (like “a” or “the”) in kolorowa lampa?
Polish does not have definite or indefinite articles. Context does the job instead. If you really need “that colorful lamp,” you can add a demonstrative: ta kolorowa lampa (“that colorful lamp”). But kolorowa lampa alone can mean “a colorful lamp” or “the colorful lamp,” depending on context.
Where is the stress in the phrase Na suficie wisi kolorowa lampa?
Polish stress almost always falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable of each word:
- su-FI-cie
- WI-si
- ko-LO-ro-wa
- LAM-pa
Can you change the word order in this sentence? For example, Kolorowa lampa wisi na suficie?
Yes. You can front Kolorowa lampa to emphasize the lamp. Because Polish relies on cases rather than strict word order, both Na suficie wisi kolorowa lampa and Kolorowa lampa wisi na suficie are perfectly fine, with only a slight shift in focus.
What is the aspect of wisieć and why does it matter?
wisieć is an imperfective verb, meaning it describes an ongoing or habitual state (“to be hanging”). Polish verbs come in imperfective/perfective pairs. Imperfective is used for continuous, repeated, or uncompleted actions, while perfective (e.g., powiesić) is used for single, completed actions.