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Oni mieszkają blisko parku.

Oni mieszkają blisko parku.
They live near the park.
FromLesson 20inHardcore Polish
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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.

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