Oni mieszkają blisko parku.

They live near the park.

Breakdown of Oni mieszkają blisko parku.

• oni: they
• park: the park
• blisko: near
• mieszkać: to live

Questions & Answers about Oni mieszkają blisko parku.

What does Oni mean, and how is it different from One?

Oni = they (a group that includes at least one male human).
One = they (all-female group, or a group of non-humans/objects).
Example: Oni mieszkają blisko parku. vs One mieszkają blisko parku. The verb form mieszkają is the same for both.

Do I have to include Oni, or can I drop it?

You can drop it: Mieszkają blisko parku. Subject pronouns are often omitted in Polish because the verb ending shows person and number. Use oni/one for emphasis or to clarify who you mean.

What’s the infinitive of mieszkają, and how is it conjugated?

Infinitive: mieszkać (to live/reside).
Present tense:

• ja mieszkam
• ty mieszkasz
• on/ona/ono mieszka
• my mieszkamy
• wy mieszkacie
• oni/one mieszkają

How do you pronounce mieszkają?

Approximate: myesh-KAH-yon.
Notes:

• sz = sh (as in English “shop”).
• The stress is on the second-to-last syllable: mie-SZKA-ją.
• Final ą in -ją sounds like a nasalized “on/om,” hence “yon.”

Why is it blisko parku and not blisko park?

Because blisko governs the genitive case. Answer the question blisko kogo/czego? (near whom/what?): parku is genitive singular of park. Other examples: blisko domu, blisko szkoły.

Why the genitive parku and not parka?

Many masculine inanimate nouns take -u in the genitive singular. Park is one of them: parku. The form parka is actually a different word (a “parka” jacket). Dictionaries show this pattern as “park, -u.”

Are there articles in Polish? How do I say “near the park” vs “near a park”?

Polish has no articles, so blisko parku can mean either “near the park” or “near a park.” To be specific:

• “near this/that park”: blisko tego parku
• “near some park”: blisko jakiegoś parku

Is blisko a preposition or an adverb?

Both. In this sentence it’s a preposition that requires genitive (blisko parku). As an adverb it can mean “close” by itself, e.g. Jest blisko (It’s close).

What other ways can I say “near,” and what cases do they take?

• koło
  • genitive: koło parku (by/near the park; neutral/colloquial)
• obok
  • genitive: obok parku (next to, immediately beside)
• niedaleko
  • genitive: niedaleko parku (not far from)
• w pobliżu
  • genitive: w pobliżu parku (in the vicinity of; a bit formal)
• przy
  • locative: przy parku (right at/by the park)

How do I ask “Do they live near the park?” in Polish?

• Czy oni mieszkają blisko parku? (neutral, with the particle czy)
  You can also drop the pronoun: Czy mieszkają blisko parku?
  In speech, rising intonation alone can work: Oni mieszkają blisko parku?

How do I say “They don’t live near the park”?

Oni nie mieszkają blisko parku.
Place nie before the verb. Blisko still takes the genitive (parku).

Can I change the word order?

Yes, to shift emphasis:

• Neutral: Oni mieszkają blisko parku.
• Without pronoun: Mieszkają blisko parku.
• Focus on location: Blisko parku mieszkają. (Sounds contrastive/emphatic)

What’s the difference between mieszkać and żyć?

mieszkać = to reside (at a place).
żyć = to live (be alive, lead one’s life).
Here you need mieszkać: Oni mieszkają blisko parku. Not żyją.

Does mieszkają correspond to English “are living” or “have lived”?

Polish present can cover both simple and continuous: “they live/are living.” For “have lived (since),” Polish still uses the present with a time expression: Oni mieszkają blisko parku od 2019 roku.

How do I say it in the past?

• Mixed or male group: Oni mieszkali blisko parku.
• All-female group: One mieszkały blisko parku.

How do I say “They live near two parks/three parks”?

Use genitive plural parków after blisko and the genitive form of the number:

• Mieszkają blisko dwóch parków.
• Mieszkają blisko trzech parków.