Learn Hardcore Polish: Siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie. - Sitting close to the stage, we saw the actor very clearly.

So the whole phrase Siedząc blisko sceny means “While sitting close to the stage” / “Sitting close to the stage” and functions like an adverbial clause of time or circumstance.

Why doesn’t Siedząc have a subject? Who is actually “sitting” in this sentence?

In Polish, an adverbial participle like Siedząc never takes its own explicit subject. Its subject is automatically understood to be the same as the subject of the main verb.

Main clause: widzieliśmy (we saw) → subject = we
Participial phrase: Siedząc blisko sceny → also refers to we

So the sentence means:

Siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
= While we were sitting close to the stage, we saw the actor very clearly.

You should not say:

✗ My siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy…
This sounds wrong in standard Polish; the explicit my doesn’t belong with the participle.

If you want an explicit subject, it’s safer to use a full clause:

Kiedy siedzieliśmy blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
(When we were sitting close to the stage, we saw the actor very clearly.)

Why is there a comma after sceny?

The comma is obligatory here because Siedząc blisko sceny is a participial phrase (with an adverbial participle), and in Polish such phrases are always separated by a comma from the main clause.

Structure:

Siedząc blisko sceny, → participial phrase (adverbial modifier)
widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie. → main clause

Polish comma rule: an imiesłów przysłówkowy phrase (like siedząc, idąc, patrząc, mówiąc) must be followed (or preceded) by a comma when it attaches to a finite verb clause.

Why is it blisko sceny and not blisko scena or blisko scenę?

The preposition blisko (near, close to) in Polish requires the genitive case.

Nominative: scena (stage)
Genitive singular: sceny

After blisko, we must use sceny:

blisko sceny = close to the stage

More examples with blisko + genitive:

blisko domu (near the house)
blisko szkoły (near the school)
blisko kina (near the cinema)

So blisko scena or blisko scenę would be ungrammatical.

What is the difference between blisko sceny and przy scenie?

Both can be translated as “near the stage”, but they feel slightly different:

blisko sceny – “close to the stage”, focusing on short distance, but not necessarily touching or directly at the edge
przy scenie – “by the stage / at the stage”, suggesting being right next to it or at its side

In a theatre context:

siedzieć blisko sceny = seats in the front area, close to the stage
siedzieć przy scenie = seats right at the edge of the stage, almost touching it

Both are possible, but blisko sceny is the more neutral way to say “close to the stage” here.

Why is it aktora and not aktor?

Aktor is the noun “actor” in the nominative (dictionary form), but here it is the direct object of the verb widzieliśmy (we saw), so we need the accusative.

For masculine animate nouns like aktor, the accusative = genitive form:

Nominative: aktor (who? what?)
Genitive / Accusative: aktora (whom?)

So:

Widzieliśmy aktora. – We saw the actor.
Nie widzieliśmy aktora. – We didn’t see the actor.

Using aktor (nominative) here would be incorrect.

Why is it wyraźnie and not wyraźny or wyraźnego?

Wyraźnie is an adverb, and it modifies the verb widzieliśmy (we saw). It answers the question “how?” (How did we see him?).

wyraźnie = clearly (adverb)
wyraźny = clear (adjective, nominative masculine singular)
wyraźnego = clear (adjective, genitive/accusative masculine singular)

In the sentence:

widzieliśmy (jak?) bardzo wyraźnie – we saw (how?) very clearly

If you used the adjective, it would have to describe a noun:

wyraźny aktor – a clear actor (sounds odd)
More natural: Był wyraźnie widoczny. – He was clearly visible.

So here only the adverb wyraźnie is correct.

Can I change the word order, for example: Siedząc blisko sceny, bardzo wyraźnie widzieliśmy aktora or Siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy bardzo wyraźnie aktora?

Yes, Polish word order is relatively flexible, and both of these are grammatically acceptable:

Siedząc blisko sceny, bardzo wyraźnie widzieliśmy aktora.
– Emphasizes how clearly you saw him (focus on bardzo wyraźnie).
Siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy bardzo wyraźnie aktora.
– Slight emphasis on aktora at the end, but still natural.

The original:

Siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
– Neutral, a bit more emphasis on the actor as the object of seeing.

All three are understandable and natural in context. Polish uses word order to adjust nuance and emphasis more than to show grammar, which is mostly shown by endings (cases, etc.).

What is the difference between widzieliśmy aktora and zobaczyliśmy aktora? Could I say Siedząc blisko sceny, zobaczyliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie?

You can say that, but the meaning changes slightly because of aspect.

widzieliśmy – imperfective, focuses on the ongoing state or process of seeing
- We were in a position where we saw him clearly for some time.
zobaczyliśmy – perfective, focuses on the moment of noticing / catching sight
- At some point, we managed to see him clearly / we did see him (success, single event).

So:

Siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
While we were sitting close to the stage, we continuously saw him clearly.
Siedząc blisko sceny, zobaczyliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
While sitting close to the stage, (at some point) we saw / spotted him clearly.

Both are grammatically correct; choose depending on whether you mean a continuous view or a single act of noticing.

What is the difference between widzieliśmy and oglądaliśmy in this context?

Both relate to vision, but they’re used differently:

widzieliśmy (from widzieć) – “we saw”, focusing on the fact of seeing or visual perception.
oglądaliśmy (from oglądać) – “we were watching”, focusing on a deliberate, active watching (like watching a show, film, match).

In this sentence:

Siedząc blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
– We could see him clearly (good visibility).

If you say:

Siedząc blisko sceny, oglądaliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
– Sounds like “we were watching the actor very clearly”. It’s grammatical but slightly awkward; you’d more naturally say:
- Siedząc blisko sceny, bardzo wyraźnie widzieliśmy aktora.
- or if you stress the watching: Siedząc blisko sceny, bardzo wyraźnie oglądaliśmy spektakl / przedstawienie. (…we very clearly watched the show.)

Can I replace Siedząc blisko sceny with a clause using kiedy or gdy? Is that more natural?

Yes, and it’s a very good idea for learners, because full clauses are often easier to handle than participles.

You can say:

Kiedy siedzieliśmy blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
Gdy siedzieliśmy blisko sceny, widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.

Both mean:

When we were sitting close to the stage, we saw the actor very clearly.

Differences:

Siedząc blisko sceny, … – more compact, slightly more formal / written style.
Kiedy/Gdy siedzieliśmy blisko sceny, … – very neutral and common in both spoken and written Polish.

For everyday speech and for learners, the kiedy/gdy version is completely natural and often preferable.

Could Siedząc blisko sceny ever refer to someone else (not “we”)? For example, “While sitting close to the stage, we saw the actor … but someone else was sitting”?

No. In standard Polish, an adverbial participle like Siedząc must share its subject with the main clause. That is:

Subject of siedząc = subject of widzieliśmy = we

If you tried to make it refer to someone else, it would be considered ungrammatical or at least incorrect style (a “dangling participle”, just like in English, but treated more strictly in Polish).

If you need different subjects, you must use a full clause, for example:

Kiedy oni siedzieli blisko sceny, my widzieliśmy aktora bardzo wyraźnie.
(When they were sitting close to the stage, we saw the actor very clearly.)

So in the original sentence, we are both the ones sitting and the ones seeing.