Learn Hardcore Polish: W tej dzielnicy budują wysoki budynek z dużym ekranem. - In this district they are building a tall building with a big screen.

In Polish, the preposition w (“in”) requires the locative case. For the feminine noun ta dzielnica (“this district”), the singular locative form is tej dzielnicy. So w tej dzielnicy literally means “in this district.”

What does budują mean, and who is doing the building?

Budują is the third-person plural present tense of budować (“to build”). It translates as “they are building” or “they build.” In Polish you often drop the subject pronoun (oni/one) because the verb ending -ją already tells you it’s “they.” Here it implies some people or a construction company are doing the work.

Why is wysoki budynek not in another case, like accusative with a different ending?

Budynek (“building”) is a masculine inanimate noun. As the direct object of budują, it should be in the accusative case—but for masculine inanimate nouns the accusative singular form is identical to the nominative. That’s why wysoki budynek doesn’t change its ending.

Why is it z dużym ekranem and not z duży ekran or something else?

The preposition z (“with”) always takes the instrumental case in Polish. Duży ekran (“big screen”) in the instrumental singular becomes z dużym ekranem. This construction literally means “with a large screen.”

Why are there no words like “a” or “the” before wysoki budynek?

Polish does not have definite or indefinite articles. You simply say wysoki budynek whether you mean “a tall building” or “the tall building.” Context tells you if it’s specific.

Is the word order fixed? Could you say Budują w tej dzielnicy wysoki budynek z dużym ekranem instead?

Polish word order is fairly flexible. You can indeed say Budują w tej dzielnicy wysoki budynek z dużym ekranem. The different order might slightly shift the emphasis (starting with the verb instead of the place), but the meaning stays the same.