Learn Hardcore Polish: Moja siostra wszędzie nosi mały ręcznik. - My sister carries a small towel everywhere.

moja siostra – nominative (who? what?) – my sister as the subject
moją siostrę – accusative (whom? what?) – would be used if she were the object, e.g.:
- Lubię moją siostrę. – I like my sister.

In Moja siostra wszędzie nosi mały ręcznik, my sister is the one doing the action (carrying), so we need moja siostra (nominative), not moją siostrę (accusative).

Is moja always the form for “my” with feminine nouns?

Moja is only one form of mój / moja / moje (“my”). It’s used for:

feminine, nominative singular nouns:
- moja siostra – my sister
- moja książka – my book

Other forms change depending on case and gender:

Feminine accusative: moją
- Widzę moją siostrę. – I see my sister.
Feminine genitive/dative/locative: mojej
- Nie mam mojej książki. – I don’t have my book.

So here we use moja because siostra is feminine and is the subject (nominative).

What is the basic word order in this sentence? Could I say Moja siostra nosi wszędzie mały ręcznik instead?

Polish has relatively flexible word order, but a neutral pattern for such a sentence is:

[Subject] [Adverb] [Verb] [Object]
→ Moja siostra wszędzie nosi mały ręcznik.

You can say Moja siostra nosi wszędzie mały ręcznik. It is grammatically correct. The difference is very subtle and mostly about rhythm and emphasis:

wszędzie nosi – slightly emphasizes “everywhere carries” as a phrase.
nosi wszędzie – may put a bit more emphasis on “everywhere” as the place of the action.

Both are natural; the original version is probably the most typical.

What does wszędzie mean exactly, and where can it go in the sentence?

Wszędzie means everywhere. It’s an adverb and can move around somewhat freely:

Moja siostra wszędzie nosi mały ręcznik.
Moja siostra nosi wszędzie mały ręcznik.
Wszędzie moja siostra nosi mały ręcznik. (strong emphasis on everywhere)

All are understandable; the first two are the most natural everyday choices. The meaning “everywhere” doesn’t change, only the nuance of emphasis.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” in mały ręcznik?

Polish has no articles like a / an / the. Their meaning is usually understood from context, word order, or stress.

So mały ręcznik can mean:

a small towel
the small towel

In this sentence, context in English suggests a small towel, but Polish doesn’t mark that difference with a specific word.

Why is it mały ręcznik and not something like mała ręcznik or małe ręcznik?

The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

ręcznik is masculine inanimate, singular.
In the nominative and accusative singular, the adjective for masculine inanimate ends in -y (or -i after certain consonants):
- mały ręcznik – a small towel
- nowy samochód – a new car

So:

mały ręcznik – correct (masculine)
mała ręcznik – wrong (feminine ending with a masculine noun)
małe ręcznik – wrong (neuter ending with a masculine noun)

Is mały ręcznik nominative or accusative here?

Formally, mały ręcznik here is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of nosi (she carries what?).

However, for masculine inanimate nouns, the nominative and accusative singular forms look the same:

Nominative: mały ręcznik (as a subject)
Accusative: mały ręcznik (as an object)

In this sentence, the function (object of nosi) tells us it’s accusative, even though the form matches nominative.

What is the difference between nosi and ma here?

nosi comes from nosić and means to carry, to wear (habitually, repeatedly, or generally).
ma comes from mieć and means to have, to own.

So:

Moja siostra wszędzie nosi mały ręcznik.
– My sister carries a small towel everywhere / always has one with her.

If you said:

Moja siostra ma mały ręcznik.
– My sister has (owns) a small towel.

That just states possession, not that she carries it everywhere.

What is the difference between nosi and niesie? When should I use nosi?

Both relate to carrying, but they differ in aspect and meaning:

nosić (imperfective, habitual/ongoing) – to carry (regularly), to wear
- Ona zawsze nosi okulary. – She always wears glasses.
- Moja siostra wszędzie nosi mały ręcznik. – She carries a small towel everywhere (as a habit).
nieść (imperfective, single concrete action in progress) – to be carrying (right now, in one instance)
- Ona niesie ręcznik. – She is carrying a towel (at this moment).

So nosi fits the idea of a habitual action (she always/usually does this), not a one-time event.

How would I say “My sisters carry small towels everywhere”?

You need plural for both the subject and the object:

Moje siostry wszędzie noszą małe ręczniki.

Breakdown:

Moje siostry – my sisters (feminine plural, nominative)
wszędzie – everywhere
noszą – they carry (3rd person plural of nosić)
małe ręczniki – small towels (plural accusative = plural nominative for masculine inanimate)

Does siostra always mean “sister”? Could it mean something else?

The primary meaning of siostra is sister (female sibling). It can also mean:

nurse, in certain contexts, especially in older or more traditional usage:
- siostra oddziałowa – ward sister, head nurse

In a sentence like Moja siostra wszędzie nosi mały ręcznik, without extra context, it will naturally be understood as my (biological) sister.

How do you pronounce wszędzie and ręcznik?

Approximate English-based pronunciation (not strict IPA):

wszędzie ≈ fsh-EN-dyeh
- wsz-: like fsh blended together
- ę: nasal sound, a bit like en in French
- dzie: like djye / dye
ręcznik ≈ RENCH-neek
- ręcz-: r rolled; ę like en; cz like ch in chair → rench
- nik: like neek

Rough, but enough to help you be understood. For precise sounds, listening to native audio is best.