Pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking, więc samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie.

Under our apartment building there is an underground parking lot, so the car stands there safely.

Breakdown of Pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking, więc samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie.

• być: to be
• samochód: the car
• więc: so
• nasz: our
• tam: there
• stać: to stand
• pod: under
• parking: the parking lot
• blok: the apartment building
• podziemny: underground
• bezpiecznie: safely

Questions & Answers about Pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking, więc samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie.

What does blok mean here? Is it the same as English block?

In this context blok means an apartment building, usually a multi-storey residential building (often concrete, but not necessarily).

It does not mean:

• a city block of streets, or
• a physical block (piece of wood, etc.).

So pod naszym blokiem = under our apartment building / under our block of flats.

Why is it pod naszym blokiem and not pod nasz blok or pod naszym blok?

The preposition pod can take two different cases, depending on the meaning:

• Location (where?) → instrumental
  
  • pod naszym blokiem = under our block (and it stays there)
• Movement (to where?) → accusative
  
  • Idę pod nasz blok. = I’m going to (the area) under our block.

In the sentence you gave, we are talking about a location (the parking already exists under the building), not movement, so instrumental is used: naszym blokiem.

pod naszym blok is simply ungrammatical: after pod in the static sense, you must change the endings to the instrumental form.

What case is naszym blokiem, and how are those endings formed?

Naszym blokiem is instrumental singular, masculine inanimate.

• blok (basic form, nominative) → blokiem (instrumental)
  • Many masculine nouns add -em, but after k, g you get -iem:
    blok → blokiem, pies → psem, dom → domem, pokój → pokojem.
• nasz (our) → naszym in the instrumental singular masculine/neuter
  • masculine/neuter adjective pattern:
    -y / -i → -ym,
    e.g. ładny dom → ładnym domem, duży blok → dużym blokiem.

So pod naszym blokiem literally: under our-(instr) block-(instr).

Why is it jest podziemny parking, not jest podziemnym parkingiem?

There are two different patterns with być (to be):

1. Existential “there is” → complement in nominative

   • Pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking.
     = There is an underground parking lot under our block.
     Here podziemny parking is simply “what exists there”, so it stays in nominative.

2. Classification/role (“X is a Y”) → complement often in instrumental

   • Ten budynek jest podziemnym parkingiem.
     = This building is an underground parking lot.
     Now podziemnym parkingiem describes what ten budynek is, so instrumental is used.

Learners are often taught jestem nauczycielem (I am a teacher – instrumental). That rule applies when you are saying what someone/something is (profession, role, type), not when you’re just saying that something exists somewhere.

Can you explain the difference between podziemny parking and parking podziemny? Are both correct?

Both forms are grammatically correct, but the default and most natural in this sentence is:

• podziemny parking (adjective before noun)

Using parking podziemny (adjective after noun) is possible, but it tends to:

• sound a bit more marked or stylistic, or
• appear in fixed terms, technical names, or when adding multiple adjectives.

In your sentence, Pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking is the normal, neutral choice. Parking podziemny might sound like mild emphasis or a more “label-like” phrase, but the meaning is the same: underground parking.

Why is it samochód stoi and not samochód jest?

In Polish, verbs of position are used very often for location:

• stać = to stand (upright position)
• leżeć = to lie (lying position)
• siedzieć = to sit

For parked vehicles, Polish normally uses stać:

• Samochód stoi na parkingu. = The car is parked in the parking lot.
• Autobus stoi na przystanku. = The bus is (standing) at the stop.

You can say Samochód jest na parkingu, and it is grammatically correct, but:

• Samochód stoi na parkingu is more natural and vivid, because it treats the car like an object that is physically “standing” in place.

So samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie is the usual way to say the car is (parked) there safely.

What is the function of tam here? Could we leave it out?

tam means there and refers back to the previously mentioned place (pod naszym blokiem).

• …jest podziemny parking, więc samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie.
  Literally: …there is an underground parking, so the car stands there safely.

You can leave it out:

• …więc samochód stoi bezpiecznie.

This is still correct, but it sounds slightly less precise. tam:

• explicitly connects “where the car stands” with “that parking under our block”,
• adds a tiny bit of emphasis to the location.

So it’s not mandatory, but it’s natural and clear.

Why is it bezpiecznie and not bezpieczny?

bezpieczny is an adjective = safe (describes a noun).
bezpiecznie is an adverb = safely (describes a verb, how something is done).

In the sentence:

• samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie

we are describing how the car stands there → it stands there safely, so we need an adverb:

• bezpiecznie = in a safe way / safely.

If you wanted to say the car is safe (as a characteristic), you would use the adjective:

• Samochód jest bezpieczny. = The car is safe.

How does więc work here? Could we use bo or dlatego instead?

więc is a coordinating conjunction meaning so / therefore. It introduces a result:

• Jest podziemny parking, więc samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie.
  = There is an underground parking, so the car stands there safely.

Alternatives:

• bo = because (introduces a reason clause)
  
  • Samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie, bo jest podziemny parking.
    = The car stands there safely because there is an underground parking.
• dlatego is usually followed by że, or used with a different structure:
  
  • Samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie, dlatego że jest podziemny parking.
  • Or: Jest podziemny parking, dlatego samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie.
    (There is an underground parking; for that reason, the car stands there safely.)

So:

• więc = so / therefore (result)
• bo / dlatego że = because (reason)
• dlatego (on its own before a clause) = that’s why / for that reason.

How flexible is the word order in this sentence? What other orders are possible?

Polish word order is relatively flexible, especially for information structure (what is new vs. known). Your sentence:

• Pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking, więc samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie.

Some natural variants (same meaning, slightly different emphasis):

• Pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking, więc tam samochód stoi bezpiecznie.
  (mild emphasis on tam = that place specifically)
• Samochód stoi tam bezpiecznie, bo pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking.
  (starts with the car; reason moved to the second clause with bo)
• Samochód tam stoi bezpiecznie, bo pod naszym blokiem jest podziemny parking.
  (extra emphasis on tam again)

What usually stays in place:

• Preposition + noun (pod naszym blokiem) stays together as a phrase.
• The verb normally stays near the subject, but can move for emphasis.

All these versions are grammatical; choice depends on what you want to highlight (location, reason, or the car itself).