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W garażu stoi stary tramwaj, który wolontariusz chce naprawić.

W garażu stoi stary tramwaj, który wolontariusz chce naprawić.
In the garage there is an old tram that the volunteer wants to repair.
FromLesson 16inHardcore Polish
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Questions & Answers about W garażu stoi stary tramwaj, który wolontariusz chce naprawić.

Why is garażu in that form? What case is it and why is it used here?
Garażu is in the locative case, which Polish uses after certain prepositions (like w, na) to indicate location. So w garażu literally means “in the garage.”
Why are stary and tramwaj both in the nominative case here?
They form the subject of the main clause. With the verb stoi (“(it) stands/is standing”), the thing that stands (the old tram) remains in the nominative masculine singular: stary tramwaj.
What’s the difference between using stoi and jest in this sentence? Could I say W garażu jest stary tramwaj?

Yes, W garażu jest stary tramwaj is grammatically correct and means “There is an old tram in the garage.”
Stoi adds a nuance of physical position—“it’s standing there.” With vehicles or upright objects, stoi sounds more vivid.

Why does naprawić (the infinitive) appear at the end of the subordinate clause?
In Polish subordinate clauses with modal verbs like chce (“wants”), you typically put the finite verb first and the infinitive at the end. So you get wolontariusz chce naprawić with naprawić trailing.
Why is wolontariusz in the nominative case? Isn’t he the doer of the action “naprawić”?
Exactly—wolontariusz is the subject of chce (“the volunteer wants”), so it stays nominative. The thing being repaired (the tram) is the object of naprawić, and that’s handled by the relative pronoun.
Shouldn’t the relative pronoun który change its form because it’s the object of naprawić? I thought it would be którego.

Correct! Technically the direct object of naprawić is the tram, so the relative pronoun should be accusative masculine singular: którego. The fully standard form is:
W garażu stoi stary tramwaj, którego wolontariusz chce naprawić.
Using który as in your example is heard colloquially but isn’t formally correct.

Why are there no words for “a” or “the” before stary tramwaj?
Polish has no definite or indefinite articles like English does. You simply use the noun in the correct case, and context tells you whether you mean “a tram” or “the tram.”
Could I rewrite the sentence without a relative clause, using a pronoun instead?

Yes. One way is:
W garażu stoi stary tramwaj, wolontariusz chce go naprawić.
Here go (“it”) refers back to tramwaj, and you avoid using który altogether.

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