Learn Hardcore Polish: Mój brat pracuje za granicą.

Reason: in the sentence Mój brat pracuje za granicą, brat is the subject – the person who is doing the action (working). In Polish, subjects normally appear in the nominative case.

Dictionary form:

brat – brother (nominative singular)

What does pracuje mean exactly, and what is its dictionary form?

Pracuje means (he/she) works or (he/she) is working, depending on context.

Dictionary form (infinitive): pracować – to work
pracuje is:
- 3rd person singular
- present tense
- imperfective aspect

Basic present tense forms:

ja pracuję – I work / I am working
ty pracujesz – you (sg.) work
on/ona/ono pracuje – he/she/it works
my pracujemy – we work
wy pracujecie – you (pl.) work
oni/one pracują – they work

Does pracuje mean both “works” and “is working,” like in English?

Yes.

Polish does not distinguish between simple present and present continuous the way English does. The same form pracuje can mean:

He works abroad (general, habitual)
He is working abroad (right now)

Context usually makes the meaning clear.

What does za granicą literally mean, and why is it two words?

Za granicą means abroad, literally “behind the border” or “beyond the border”.

za – a preposition, here meaning beyond / on the other side of
granica – border
granicą – border in the instrumental case (used after za in a static-location meaning)

It’s written as two words: za granicą.

You may also see the single word zagranicą in some contexts, but za granicą (two words) is the more transparent and common version for learners: preposition + noun.

Why is it granicą with -ą at the end, not granica?

Granica (border) is a feminine noun. In za granicą, it appears in the instrumental case (narzędnik), singular.

Feminine nouns ending in -a often take -ą in the instrumental singular:

granica → granicą
kobieta → kobietą (woman → with a woman)
szkoła → szkołą (school → with/by school)

The preposition za with a location meaning (where something is) usually takes the instrumental:

za domem – behind the house
za rzeką – beyond the river
za granicą – beyond the border → abroad

What is the difference between za granicą and za granicę?

The difference is static location vs. movement.

za granicą (instrumental) – where?
→ abroad (already there)
- Mój brat pracuje za granicą. – My brother works abroad.
za granicę (accusative) – where to?
→ abroad (direction, going there)
- Mój brat wyjechał za granicę. – My brother went abroad.

So:

za granicą = he is (and works) abroad now
za granicę = he goes/went abroad

Could I say Mój brat pracuje w zagranicy instead?

No, that would be incorrect.

You should say za granicą to mean abroad.
w zagranicy is not a natural phrase in Polish.

Correct ways:

Mój brat pracuje za granicą. – My brother works abroad.
Mój brat pracuje w Niemczech. – My brother works in Germany.
Mój brat pracuje we Francji. – My brother works in France.

Can I change the word order, for example to Za granicą pracuje mój brat?

Yes, Polish word order is quite flexible.

All of these are grammatically correct:

Mój brat pracuje za granicą.
Za granicą pracuje mój brat.
Mój brat za granicą pracuje.

Differences are mainly about emphasis and information structure:

Mój brat pracuje za granicą. – neutral; stating a fact.
Za granicą pracuje mój brat. – emphasis on where (abroad), or maybe contrasting him with others who work locally.
Mój brat za granicą pracuje. – slight emphasis that his workplace is abroad (can sound a bit more spoken/colloquial).

For learners, the original word order (Mój brat pracuje za granicą) is the safest, most neutral choice.

Can I leave out mój and just say Brat pracuje za granicą?

Yes, you can, but the meaning changes slightly.

Mój brat pracuje za granicą.
→ clearly my brother works abroad.
Brat pracuje za granicą.
→ literally The/Our brother works abroad.
In real context, it often implies “our brother” (e.g., within a family conversation), or it may sound like you’re talking about “the brother” as someone already known in the context.

In many everyday family contexts, Brat pracuje za granicą will still be understood as our/my brother, but for clarity, especially as a learner, Mój brat… is better.

How would the sentence change if I talked about my sister instead of my brother?

You need to change both the noun and the possessive pronoun to agree in gender:

Mój brat pracuje za granicą. – My brother works abroad.
Moja siostra pracuje za granicą. – My sister works abroad.

Changes:

mój → moja (masculine → feminine)
brat → siostra (brother → sister)

The rest (pracuje za granicą) stays the same.

How do you pronounce Mój brat pracuje za granicą?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like spelling):

Mój – mooy (like “moy” in “Moy-” but with a w glide: mooy)
brat – braht (short a, like “brat” in English but with a clearer t)
pracuje – pra-TSOO-ye
- c = ts
- stress on cu: pra-CU-je
za – zah
granicą – gra-NEE-tson (ending -tsown, nasalized -ą)
- cą = tson (nasal ą)

Stress pattern: in Polish, the stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable:

mój BRAT pra-CU-je za gra-NI-cą

How would I make this sentence negative?

To make it negative, place nie before the verb:

Mój brat nie pracuje za granicą.
→ My brother does not work abroad.

In Polish:

nie generally comes directly before the verb in simple sentences:
- Nie wiem. – I don’t know.
- Nie mieszkam w Warszawie. – I don’t live in Warsaw.
- Mój brat nie pracuje za granicą. – My brother doesn’t work abroad.

Is there a separate word for “abroad” as a simple adverb, like English abroad?

In practice, za granicą functions very much like the English adverb abroad.

There is also the noun zagranica (foreign countries / abroad as a place), and you may see the form zagranicą used as an adverbial form meaning abroad, but for a learner the safest and most common phrase is:

za granicą – abroad (where?)

Why don’t we need a pronoun like on (he) here?

We don’t use on (he) because the subject is already clearly expressed by the noun mój brat.

Mój brat pracuje za granicą. – My brother works abroad.
On pracuje za granicą. – He works abroad.
Mój brat pracuje za granicą. On jest lekarzem. – My brother works abroad. He is a doctor.

You could say:

Mój brat, on pracuje za granicą.

But that sounds like adding extra emphasis or contrast (“My brother, he works abroad”) and is not the neutral basic form. Normally, just Mój brat pracuje za granicą is best.