Questions & Answers about Czyje są te ołówki przy oknie?
Why is it czyje here and not czyj, czyja, or czyi?
Because the interrogative possessive must agree with the grammatical gender and number of the possessed noun, not with the owner. Here the possessed noun is ołówki (pencils), which are plural, non‑masculine‑personal. In the plural:
- masculine personal (groups of men): czyi
- all other plurals (masculine inanimate, neuter, feminine): czyje
So we say czyje (ołówki). For comparison:
- singular masculine: czyj (ołówek)
- singular feminine: czyja (książka)
- singular neuter: czyje (okno)
Why is it te ołówki and not ci ołówki?
In the plural, the demonstrative pronoun distinguishes only masculine personal vs. everything else:
- masculine personal plural (groups of men): ci (e.g., ci chłopcy)
- all other plural nouns: te (e.g., te ołówki, te książki, te okna)
Since pencils are not people, it’s te ołówki.
Why is the verb są and not jest?
The subject (ołówki) is plural, so the verb być takes the 3rd person plural form są. If it were singular (ołówek), you’d use jest. Note that an alternative and very common pattern avoids the verb entirely: (with the particle-like ).