Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Wokół domu rosną drzewa.
What does wokół mean, and what case does it require?
Wokół means “around” (encircling), and it governs the genitive case. That’s why it’s wokół domu (genitive), not wokół dom.
Why is it domu and not dom (or domie)?
Because wokół takes the genitive, and the genitive singular of dom is domu. Note: the locative singular of dom is also domu (e.g., w domu = “in the house”), so the same form serves two cases; context and the preposition tell you which case it is.
What form is drzewa here? Why not drzewy?
Drzewa is the nominative plural of drzewo (a neuter noun). Many neuter nouns in -o take -a in the plural (e.g., okno → okna, miasto → miasta). Drzewy doesn’t exist. Note that drzewa can also be genitive singular of drzewo in other contexts; here it’s nominative plural because the verb is plural.
What is rosną, and why not rośnie?
Rosną is 3rd person plural present of rosnąć (to grow) and agrees with plural drzewa. Rośnie is 3rd person singular, used with a singular subject: Wokół domu rośnie drzewo.
Is the word order fixed? Can I say Drzewa rosną wokół domu?
Yes, word order is flexible. Wokół domu rosną drzewa front-loads the location for emphasis. Drzewa rosną wokół domu is equally correct and neutral.
Does this just mean “There are trees around the house”? When should I use są instead of rosną?
- Wokół domu rosną drzewa literally: “Trees grow around the house.” It often functions like “There are trees around the house,” but it subtly highlights living/growing plants or natural growth.
- Wokół domu są drzewa states plain existence/location with no “growth” nuance. Use są if you only mean “there are.”
What’s the difference between wokół, dookoła, naokoło, około, and koło?
- wokół = around, encircling; takes genitive: wokół domu.
- dookoła = around/all around; preposition with genitive (dookoła domu) or adverb (Dookoła było cicho). Slightly more colloquial than wokół.
- naokoło = around/all around, often adverbial; Naokoło domu also occurs.
- około = around/about. With numbers it means “about” (około dziesięciu). With places (około domu) it can mean “around/near” but is less specific stylistically than wokół.
- koło = by/near (not encircling): koło domu = “near the house.” All of these take genitive as prepositions. Spelling note: write dookoła, naokoło as one word; w około is not standard; wkoło exists but is rare/poetic.
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
- wokół: stress the first syllable; w sounds like English “v”, ó like “oo” in “food”, ł like English “w” → roughly “VO-koow”.
- drzewa: rz like the “s” in “vision” (zh); drz comes out like “d-zh” → roughly “D-ZHEH-vah”.
- rosną: final ą is a nasal “o” (like French “bon”); in casual speech it may sound close to “rosno” → roughly “ROSS-nohn”.
Do I need articles like “the” in Polish?
No. Polish has no articles. Context decides whether domu is “the house” or “a house.”
Can you show this sentence in the past and in the future?
- Past: Wokół domu rosły drzewa (Trees grew / There were trees growing around the house).
- Future, ongoing/habitual (imperfective): Wokół domu będą rosnąć drzewa or Wokół domu będą rosły drzewa.
- Future, result/completion (perfective): Wokół domu wyrosną drzewa (trees will appear/grow there). Urosną emphasizes increasing in size of existing trees.
How would it change for one tree or many houses?
- One tree: Wokół domu rośnie drzewo.
- Many houses: Wokół domów rosną drzewa (genitive plural domów after wokół).
Why is ó used in wokół if it sounds like u?
ó and u sound the same in modern Polish. ó is largely historical and sometimes reflects patterns in related forms. It’s simply spelled wokół.
How do adjectives behave here?
- After wokół, adjectives modifying the noun take genitive: wokół starego domu (“around the old house”).
- Adjectives with the subject drzewa are nominative plural: rosną wysokie drzewa (“tall trees are growing”).
How can I tell that drzewa is the subject?
- It’s nominative plural and the verb is plural (rosną), so they agree.
- domu is genitive because wokół forces genitive, so domu cannot be the subject here.