Breakdown of Chcę zaparkować samochód na parkingu obok apteki.
ja
I
samochód
the car
na
in
chcieć
to want
apteka
the pharmacy
obok
next to
parking
the parking lot
zaparkować
to park
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Questions & Answers about Chcę zaparkować samochód na parkingu obok apteki.
Why is zaparkować used in the infinitive here instead of a finite form like zaparkuję?
Polish verbs of wanting or intending—like chcieć, mieć zamiar, woleć—are followed by an infinitive.
- chcę (I want) + zaparkować (to park)
A finite future form (zaparkuję) would stand alone, not attach to chcę.
What aspect is zaparkować, and how does it differ from parkować?
zaparkować is perfective (completed action).
- Use zaparkować when you mean “to get the car parked” (emphasis on finishing the action).
parkować is imperfective (ongoing or habitual action). - parkować would stress the process (“to be parking” or “to park repeatedly”).
Why is samochód in the accusative case?
samochód is the direct object of zaparkować. In Polish:
- Verbs that act upon something take the accusative.
- Masculine inanimate nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative, so samochód stays unchanged but is still accusative.
Why do we say na parkingu (locative) instead of na parking (accusative)?
The preposition na governs two cases:
- Accusative for motion onto something (e.g. jadę na parking “I’m driving onto the parking lot”).
- Locative for location (e.g. jestem na parkingu “I’m at the parking lot”).
Here you’re describing where you want to park, so you use locative: parking→parkingu.
Why is apteki in the genitive case after obok?
The preposition obok always takes the genitive.
- obok
- apteka (nominative) → obok apteki (genitive)
This construction means “next to the pharmacy.”
- apteka (nominative) → obok apteki (genitive)
Can I swap the order of na parkingu and obok apteki?
Yes, Polish word order is quite flexible. Both sound correct:
- na parkingu obok apteki (more common)
- obok apteki na parkingu (still understandable)
Putting the more important or new information later can help with emphasis.
Could I use przy aptece instead of obok apteki?
Yes, but with a nuance:
- przy
- locative (aptece) means “by/at” and often implies immediate vicinity or association.
- obok
- genitive (apteki) strictly means “beside” or “next to.”
Depending on the context, both can be correct:
• na parkingu przy aptece – at the parking lot by the pharmacy
• na parkingu obok apteki – at the parking lot directly next to the pharmacy
- genitive (apteki) strictly means “beside” or “next to.”