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Questions & Answers about Moje biurko stoi przy oknie.
Why is the possessive pronoun moje used here, not mój?
Because biurko (“desk”) is a neuter noun in Polish. Possessive pronouns must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. For neuter nouns you use moje; for masculine you’d use mój, and for feminine moja.
Why is przy oknie in the locative case, and not just okno?
The preposition przy always governs the locative case to express position “by,” “next to,” or “at.” The base form is okno (nominative), so in the locative it becomes oknie, giving przy oknie = “by/next to the window.”
Why is the verb stoi used instead of jest?
Stoi comes from the verb stać (“to stand”) and is used when describing an object in an upright or stationary position. Jest is the general verb “to be.” Saying biurko stoi emphasizes that the desk is physically standing by the window.
What case is biurko in, and why?
It’s in the nominative case because it’s the grammatical subject of the sentence. In Polish, subjects take the nominative case.
Could I say Przy oknie stoi moje biurko instead?
Yes. Polish allows flexible word order. Moving przy oknie to the front shifts emphasis onto the location (“By the window stands my desk”) but the meaning remains the same.
Why can’t I say przy okna or przy oknem?
Przy only takes the locative case. For okno the locative is oknie. Okna is genitive/accusative and oknem is instrumental—neither is correct after przy.
What’s the difference between przy oknie and obok okna?
Both mean “by” or “next to,” but with a nuance: przy often implies touching or directly adjoining something, while obok simply means “beside” without necessarily touching. Note that obok takes the genitive case—obok okna.
Why are there no articles like “the” or “a” in this sentence?
Polish has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context or added words (e.g., to moje biurko “this is my desk”).
Could I say Moje biurko jest przy oknie w pokoju to add “in the room”?
Yes. You can append another prepositional phrase: w pokoju (“in the room,” with pokoju in locative after w). The full sentence Moje biurko stoi przy oknie w pokoju means “My desk stands by the window in the room.”