Kanapa, którą lubi mój pies, stoi pod oknem.

The sofa that my dog likes stands under the window.

Breakdown of Kanapa, którą lubi mój pies, stoi pod oknem.

• pies: the dog
• lubić: to like
• mój: my
• okno: the window
• kanapa: the sofa
• którą: that
• stać: to stand
• pod: under

Questions & Answers about Kanapa, którą lubi mój pies, stoi pod oknem.

What role does którą play in this sentence, and why is it in the accusative case?

którą is the feminine singular accusative form of the relative pronoun który, referring back to kanapa. In the clause “którą lubi mój pies,” it functions as the direct object of the verb lubi. Because kanapa is feminine and it’s the object of lubić, we use the accusative feminine singular którą.

Why is the verb lubi used here instead of kocha?

In Polish, lubić means “to like,” while kochać means “to love.”

• lubi is more natural when talking about a pet’s preference for an inanimate object (a sofa).
• kochać would imply a much stronger emotion, usually reserved for people or very special things.

Why is mój pies in the nominative case inside the relative clause?

Inside the subordinate clause “którą lubi mój pies,” mój pies is the subject performing the action lubi. Subjects in Polish are normally in the nominative case, so we keep mój pies in nominative.

Why do we say pod oknem and not pod okno or pod okna?

The preposition pod can govern two cases, depending on meaning:

• Accusative for motion toward (e.g. “Idę pod okno” – “I’m going up to the window”)
• Locative for static position (e.g. “Stoję pod oknem” – “I’m standing under the window”)
  Here, stoi pod oknem describes a static location, so okno takes the locative singular form oknem.

When should a learner use który (and its forms) instead of co in a relative clause?

Use który (and feminine która, neuter które, etc.) when you refer back to a specific noun:

• Kanapa, którą…
• Dom, który…
  Use co only when you refer back to an unspecified concept or pronoun like wszystko, coś, nic. You cannot use co to replace a concrete noun like kanapa.

Why is the relative clause set off by commas here?

In Polish, subordinate relative clauses (zdania podrzędne przydawkowe) are typically framed by commas, whether they add essential or additional information. The commas mark the beginning and end of the clause “którą lubi mój pies.”

Could you change the word order and still keep the same meaning? For example, “Kanapa stoi pod oknem, którą lubi mój pies”?

No. The relative clause must immediately follow the noun it modifies (here kanapa). Placing “którą lubi mój pies” after pod oknem would break that link and confuse the sentence structure. The correct order is:

1. Noun (Kanapa)
2. Relative clause (którą lubi mój pies)
3. Main predicate (stoi pod oknem)