Wokół kina stoi dużo ludzi.

the cinema

Breakdown of Wokół kina stoi dużo ludzi.

• człowiek: the person
• stać: to stand
• wokół: around

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 if we’re talking about “people” (which is plural)?