Wokół kina stoi dużo ludzi.

There are many people standing around the cinema.

Breakdown of Wokół kina stoi dużo ludzi.

• kino: the cinema
• człowiek: the person
• stać: to stand
• wokół: around
• dużo: a lot

Questions & Answers about Wokół kina stoi dużo ludzi.

What does the preposition wokół mean, and what case does it require?

Wokół means “around” (in a spatial or figurative sense). It always governs the genitive case. Examples:

• wokół kina (around the cinema)
• wokół domu (around the house)
• wokół problemu (around/about the problem, figurative)

Why is it kina and not kino or kinie?

Because wokół requires the genitive. Kina is the genitive singular of kino (“cinema”).

• kino = nominative/accusative singular (“a/the cinema”)
• kinie = locative singular (used after prepositions like w “in” or o “about”)

Doesn’t kina also mean “cinemas” (nominative plural)? How do I know it’s not plural here?

Yes, kina can also be nominative plural (“cinemas”). Context and the preposition tell you the case:

• After wokół you must use genitive, so here kina = genitive singular (“of the cinema”).
• “Around cinemas” would be wokół kin (genitive plural of kino is kin).

Why is the verb singular stoi if we’re talking about “people” (which is plural)?

With quantity words like dużo, wiele, mało, sporo, Polish typically uses a 3rd person singular verb. The quantified phrase (dużo ludzi) behaves like a singular subject in grammar, so you say:

• stoi dużo ludzi, jest dużo ludzi, przyszło dużo ludzi (all singular)

Can I say stoją instead of stoi here?

No, not with dużo ludzi. You cannot say stoją dużo ludzi. If you want a plural verb, drop the quantifier and use a nominative plural subject:

• Wokół kina stoją ludzie (People are standing around the cinema.)
  With dużo, stick to singular: stoi dużo ludzi.

Why is it ludzi and not ludzie?

Because after dużo you need the genitive case, and the genitive plural of “people” is ludzi.

• ludzie = nominative plural (“people” as the subject)
• ludzi = genitive plural (“of people”), used after quantities like dużo

What is the singular word behind ludzie/ludzi?

The singular is człowiek (“person/man”). It’s irregular:

• singular: człowiek
• nominative plural: ludzie
• genitive plural: ludzi

Could I use osób instead of ludzi?

Yes: dużo osób = “a lot of people (persons).”

• ludzi is very common and neutral; slightly more informal in some contexts.
• osób (genitive plural of osoba, “person”) can sound a bit more formal/administrative, but is perfectly natural.

Can I replace stoi with jest/są?

• Jest dużo ludzi wokół kina is correct and neutral (“There are a lot of people around the cinema”).
• Są dużo ludzi is incorrect; dużo requires singular jest, not są.
• stoi emphasizes that they are standing, not just present.

Is different word order acceptable?

Yes, Polish word order is flexible. Common, natural options include:

• Dużo ludzi stoi wokół kina.
• Wokół kina stoi dużo ludzi.
• Stoi dużo ludzi wokół kina. They differ mostly in emphasis/rhythm, not meaning.

What are good synonyms for wokół, and do they take the same case?

• dookoła / wokoło = around (very close to wokół); take genitive: dookoła kina.
• koło / obok = by/next to; take genitive: koło/obok kina.
• przy = by/at; takes locative: przy kinie.
  Use wokół/dookoła when you mean “around (encircling),” and obok/koło/przy for simple proximity.

How would I say “around the cinemas” or “around the theater”?

• “Around the cinemas”: Wokół kin stoi… (genitive plural of kino is kin).
• “Around the theater”: Wokół teatru stoi… (genitive singular of teatr is teatru).

How do you pronounce the sentence?

Approximate pronunciation: [VOH-koo KEEN-ah STOH-yee DOO-zhoh LOO-jee]

• ó sounds like English “oo” in “boot.”
• ł sounds like English “w.”
• ż in dużo sounds like the “s” in “measure.”
• dzi in ludzi sounds like soft “jee.”
  Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable of each word: WO-kół KI-na STO-i DÚ-zo LÚ-dzi.

Can I use wiele or wielu instead of dużo?

Yes:

• wiele ludzi (more formal/neutral)
• wielu ludzi (preferred with masculine-personal nouns; also common)
  All three—dużo/wiele/wielu—take the genitive and usually trigger a singular verb: jest/stoi/przyszło.

What happens if I replace dużo with a number?

Agreement changes with numerals:

• With 2, 3, 4: noun is nominative plural, verb is plural:
  Wokół kina stoją dwie/trzy/cztery osoby.
• With 5 and higher: noun is genitive plural, verb is singular (neuter):
  Wokół kina stoi pięć/sześć osób.

Is wokoło/wkoło the same as wokół?

• wokoło can function like dookoła (synonym of wokół) and is acceptable, though wokół is the most standard preposition before a noun.
• wkoło is usually an adverb meaning “all around” (not directly governing a noun), e.g., Rozejrzał się wkoło (“He looked around”). For “around [something],” stick to wokół [GEN].