Nie wiem, gdzie jest apteka.

to be

Breakdown of Nie wiem, gdzie jest apteka.

• gdzie: where
• nie: not
• apteka: the pharmacy

Questions & Answers about Nie wiem, gdzie jest apteka.

Why do we use Nie wiem here instead of Nie znam?

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?