Learn Hardcore Polish: Jutro mam badanie u lekarza o siódmej rano. - Tomorrow I have an examination at the doctor’s at seven in the morning.

In Polish, the present tense is very often used for scheduled or certain future events, especially with a time expression like jutro (tomorrow).

Jutro mam badanie = literally “Tomorrow I have an examination,” but it naturally means “I will have an examination tomorrow.”
This is similar to English: “I have an appointment tomorrow.”

You can also say:

Jutro będę mieć badanie – “Tomorrow I will have an examination.”

But in everyday speech, Jutro mam badanie is more natural and shorter.

Why is there no ja (“I”) in the sentence?

In Polish, subject pronouns (ja, ty, on, etc.) are usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person.

mam = “I have” (ja mam)
So Jutro mam badanie is clearly “Tomorrow I have an examination.”

You only add ja for emphasis or contrast:

To ja jutro mam badanie, nie ty. – It’s me who has the examination tomorrow, not you.

What exactly does badanie mean here?

Badanie is a neuter noun that generally means:

an examination, check-up, or test (medical context),
or more broadly: research, investigation, study (scientific context).

Here, with u lekarza (“at the doctor’s”), it clearly means a medical examination / medical check-up.

You might also hear:

badanie lekarskie – literally “medical examination” (a bit more explicit, but badanie alone is usually enough when the context is clear).

Why is it u lekarza and not something like do lekarza?

u and do are different prepositions:

u + Genitive = “at someone’s place / office / clinic”
- u lekarza – at the doctor’s (office)
- u dentysty – at the dentist’s
- u fryzjera – at the hairdresser’s
do + Genitive = “to (a person or place)” – movement towards
- iść do lekarza – to go to the doctor
- jadę do dentysty – I’m going to the dentist

So:

Mam badanie u lekarza – I have an examination at the doctor’s.
Idę do lekarza na badanie – I’m going to the doctor for an examination.

Why is it lekarza and not lekarz?

lekarz is the base (nominative) form: lekarz = “doctor”.

The preposition u requires the genitive case:

Nominative: lekarz
Genitive (singular): lekarza

That’s why we say:

u lekarza, do lekarza, od lekarza (from the doctor) – all use lekarza.

What does jutro do in this sentence? Can it go in other positions?

jutro means “tomorrow” and works like an adverb of time.

It can appear in several places without changing the core meaning:
- Jutro mam badanie u lekarza o siódmej rano.
- Mam jutro badanie u lekarza o siódmej rano.
- Mam badanie jutro u lekarza o siódmej rano.

All are correct. The differences are very subtle and mostly about emphasis:

Starting with Jutro… slightly highlights when it happens.
Mam jutro badanie… puts a bit more focus on having the examination tomorrow.

For a learner, you can treat them as interchangeable.

Why is it o siódmej, not o siedem?

For clock times after o (“at”), Polish uses an ordinal number in the locative case, not the cardinal number:

Implicitly it is: o (godzinie) siódmej – “at the seventh (hour)” = at seven o’clock.

So:

siedem – cardinal: “seven”
siódma – ordinal: “seventh” (feminine, nominative)
siódmej – ordinal, locative feminine (because godzina is feminine)

Compare:

o pierwszej – at one o’clock
o drugiej – at two
o trzeciej – at three
o siódmej – at seven

Using o siedem would be wrong for time; it sounds like “by seven” in a math context.

What case is siódmej in, and what is it agreeing with?

siódmej is in the locative case, feminine singular.

It agrees with an implicit noun:

(o godzinie) siódmej – “at seven o’clock,” literally “at the seventh hour.”

We usually drop godzinie in everyday speech, but the grammar stays:

o siódmej is short for o godzinie siódmej.

What is rano exactly? Why not w rano?

rano is an adverb meaning “in the morning”.

You do not use a preposition with it:
- rano – in the morning
- wieczorem – in the evening
- w nocy – at night (here noc is a noun with a preposition)

So:

o siódmej rano – “at seven in the morning.”
w rano is incorrect.

You can also say:

Rano mam badanie. – I have the examination in the morning.

Can I change the order of o siódmej rano?

Yes, you have some flexibility:

o siódmej rano – the most natural and typical order.
rano o siódmej – also correct, puts slightly more focus on “in the morning.”

Full sentence examples:

Jutro mam badanie u lekarza o siódmej rano.
Jutro rano mam badanie u lekarza o siódmej.
Jutro rano o siódmej mam badanie u lekarza.

All are understood as the same event; only the focus and rhythm change.

Is badanie singular or plural here? How would I say “tests” in plural?

In mam badanie, badanie is singular: one examination / one procedure.

To talk about more than one test, you use the plural:

Mam badania. – I have (medical) tests / examinations.

Examples:

Jutro mam badanie krwi. – Tomorrow I have a blood test.
Jutro mam badania krwi. – Tomorrow I have blood tests (more than one).

How would I say “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow at seven in the morning” in another natural way?

Several natural variants:

Jutro rano o siódmej mam wizytę u lekarza.
Jutro o siódmej rano mam wizytę u lekarza.
Jutro o siódmej rano idę do lekarza. – “I’m going to the doctor at seven in the morning” (focus on going).

Here wizyta u lekarza literally means “a visit at the doctor’s,” and is a very common way to say “doctor’s appointment.”