Learn Hardcore Polish: Nie wiem, gdzie jest apteka. - I don’t know where the pharmacy is.

Nie wiem means “I don’t know” in the sense of lacking factual information. Nie znam means “I’m not familiar with” or “I don’t know someone/place personally.” Since you’re asking about the location of the pharmacy (a fact), you need nie wiem.

Why is there a comma before gdzie?

In Polish, a comma separates the main clause from a subordinate clause. Here, gdzie jest apteka is an indirect question (a subordinate clause) explaining what you don’t know, so you place a comma before gdzie.

What part of speech is gdzie and why is it used here?

Gdzie is an interrogative adverb meaning “where.” In indirect questions you also use gdzie, just as in direct questions. It introduces the clause that asks for the location.

Why is apteka in the nominative case rather than locative or another case?

In gdzie jest apteka, apteka is the subject of the verb jest (“is”). Subjects in Polish normally take the nominative case.

Why don’t we put a preposition like w before apteka?

When asking gdzie jest X, you’re locating X itself. Adding w aptece would mean “inside the pharmacy.” Here you want to know where the pharmacy building is, so no additional preposition is needed.

Why is the word order gdzie jest apteka and not apteka jest gdzie?

The neutral word order in Polish for indirect questions is question word (gdzie) + verb (jest) + subject (apteka). You can move elements for emphasis, but gdzie jest apteka is the standard everyday sequence.

Can we omit the pronoun ja in nie wiem?

Yes. Polish is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -em already indicates first person singular. Including ja is grammatical (for emphasis) but not necessary in normal speech.

Could you also say Nie wiem, gdzie apteka jest?

You could, but it’s less common. Moving jest to the end sounds marked or poetic. In everyday Polish you’ll almost always hear gdzie jest apteka.