Breakdown of Nocą czytam książkę przy lampie.
ja
I
czytać
to read
książka
the book
lampa
the lamp
przy
by
nocą
at night
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Questions & Answers about Nocą czytam książkę przy lampie.
What does nocą mean, and how is it different from w nocy?
nocą is an adverbial (instrumental) form of noc (“night”), meaning “at night.” It’s concise and often found in written or poetic contexts. w nocy (“in the night”) uses the preposition w plus the locative case and carries the same basic meaning. Both are correct and interchangeable, though nocą can sound a bit more stylistic.
Why is książkę in the accusative case, and how do I recognize it?
książkę is the direct object of the verb czytam (“I read”), so it takes the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -ę in the singular accusative. That -ę ending is your clue that it’s accusative singular feminine.
Why are there no articles like “a” or “the” in this sentence?
Polish simply doesn’t have articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context or added with demonstratives (e.g., ta książka = “this book”). So you say czytam książkę for “I read a/the book” without any extra word.
What does przy mean here, and which case does it govern?
przy means “by” or “near” (i.e., next to something) and always takes the locative case. That’s why lampa (nominative) becomes lampie (locative), giving przy lampie = “by the lamp.”
Why is it lampie and not lampa?
Because after przy you use the locative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, the locative singular ending is -ie, so lampa → lampie.
Could I say pod lampą instead of przy lampie? What would change?
Yes. pod + instrumental gives pod lampą = “under the lamp.” Instrumental singular of lampa is lampą. The nuance: przy lampie means “beside/near the lamp,” while pod lampą suggests you’re sitting directly underneath its light.
Can I change the word order, for example Czytam książkę nocą przy lampie?
Absolutely. Polish relies on case endings rather than strict word order. You can move nocą or przy lampie around for emphasis or style. The cases keep the roles clear.
Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like ja before czytam?
Polish verb endings encode person and number. The -m in czytam already means “I.” Adding ja is optional and only used for emphasis: Ja czytam książkę.
Could I use a diminutive and say przy lampce instead of przy lampie?
Yes. lampka is the diminutive of lampa (“little lamp”), and its locative is lampce, so przy lampce means “by the little lamp.” Use it when you want a softer or more intimate tone.