Na północy pogoda bywa zimna.

In the north the weather can be cold.

Breakdown of Na północy pogoda bywa zimna.

• zimny: cold
• pogoda: the weather
• bywać: to be
• na północy: in the north

Questions & Answers about Na północy pogoda bywa zimna.

What does bywa mean in this sentence?

Bywa is the 3rd person singular form of the imperfective verb bywać, which means “to happen” or “to be sometimes.” Here it’s best rendered in English as “can be” or “is sometimes,” emphasizing that the weather isn’t always cold but often is.

Why use bywa instead of jest?

Using bywa conveys that cold weather occurs occasionally or as a habit, not that it’s constantly cold. Jest simply states a fact (“is cold”), whereas bywa adds the nuance “sometimes is cold.”

Why do we say Na północy rather than W północy?

When talking about large regions or cardinal directions (north, south, east, west), Polish typically uses the preposition na with the locative case. So na północy (“in the north”) is idiomatic, and północ changes to the locative północy. W północy is not used for geographic directions.

What case is północy and how is it formed?

Północy is the locative case (miejscownik) singular of północ (“north”). The locative is required after the preposition na when indicating location. The nominative północ → locative północy.

Why is the adjective zimna in this form?

Zimna is the feminine singular nominative form of zimny (“cold”). It agrees with pogoda (“weather”), which is a feminine noun in the nominative case.

How do you pronounce północy, and where is the stress?

Północy is pronounced [puwˈnɔt͡sɨ], with stress on the second syllable: pół-NO-cy.

Can the word order be changed to emphasize a different element?

Yes. You can shift to Pogoda na północy bywa zimna without changing the meaning. Polish word order is relatively flexible for emphasis.