Na ławce przed domem rozmawiam z sąsiadką o naszym sąsiedztwie.

On the bench in front of the house I talk with my neighbor about our neighborhood.

Breakdown of Na ławce przed domem rozmawiam z sąsiadką o naszym sąsiedztwie.

• dom: the house
• na: on
• o: about
• nasz: our
• z: with
• rozmawiać: to talk
• przed: in front of
• ławka: the bench
• sąsiadka: the female neighbor
• sąsiedztwo: the neighborhood

Questions & Answers about Na ławce przed domem rozmawiam z sąsiadką o naszym sąsiedztwie.

Why is it na ławce and not na ławka?

Because na here describes a static location (on the bench), and in Polish na + static location normally takes the locative case.

• Nominative (dictionary form): ławka (a bench)
• Locative singular: ławce

So you must say na ławce (on the bench), not na ławka.

If there were movement onto the bench, you would use the accusative:

• Siadam na ławkę. – I sit down on the bench. (motion onto)
• Siedzę na ławce. – I am sitting on the bench. (static position)

Where does the -e ending in ławce come from?

Ławka is a feminine noun ending in -a. In the locative singular, many such nouns change -ka → -ce:

• Nominative: ławka
• Locative: ławce

Other examples of the same pattern:

• koleżanka → o koleżance (about a female friend)
• książka → w książce (in the book)
• mapka → na mapce (on the map)

So na ławce is simply the regular locative singular form of ławka.

Why przed domem, not przed dom or przed domu?

The preposition przed (in front of) takes the instrumental case.

• Nominative: dom (house)
• Instrumental singular: domem

So you must say przed domem (in front of the house).

Przed does not alternate between cases the way na does; with normal spatial meaning it uses the instrumental whether it’s static or with motion:

• Stoję przed domem. – I am standing in front of the house.
• Przechodzę przed domem. – I am walking (past/right in front of) the house.

How can the verb rozmawiam mean I am talking as well as I talk?

Polish does not have a separate continuous tense like English I am talking. The simple present covers both:

• rozmawiam can mean:
  • I talk / I speak (habitually)
  • I am talking / speaking (right now)

The exact meaning comes from context, adverbs, or the situation. In this sentence, with a clear physical setting (on the bench in front of the house), it is naturally understood as something happening now: I am talking.

Why is there no ja (I) before rozmawiam?

Polish usually drops subject pronouns (like ja, ty, on) because the verb ending already shows the person.

• rozmawiam – the -am ending clearly shows 1st person singular (I).
• So Ja rozmawiam… is grammatically correct, but normally too explicit unless you want to emphasize I (as opposed to someone else).

In neutral sentences, you usually say just Rozmawiam… without ja.

Why is it z sąsiadką, not z sąsiadka or z sąsiadce?

The preposition z meaning with takes the instrumental case.

The noun sąsiadka (female neighbor) declines like this (singular):

• Nominative: sąsiadka (who? what?)
• Genitive: sąsiadki
• Dative: sąsiadce
• Accusative: sąsiadkę
• Instrumental: sąsiadką
• Locative: sąsiadce

Since z (with) requires the instrumental, you get:

• z sąsiadką – with (my) female neighbor

Is it the same z in z sąsiadką as in z domu (from the house)?

They are pronounced the same and written the same (z), but they behave differently:

1. z = with → takes instrumental

   • z sąsiadką – with (my) female neighbor
   • z kolegą – with a (male) friend

2. z = from / out of / off (of) → takes genitive

   • z domu – from/out of the house
   • ze szkoły – from school
   • z pracy – from work

So the case of the noun (instrumental vs genitive) tells you which meaning of z is intended.

How would the sentence change if the neighbor were male instead of female?

You would change sąsiadką (female neighbor, instrumental) to sąsiadem (male neighbor, instrumental):

• Na ławce przed domem rozmawiam z sąsiadem o naszym sąsiedztwie.
  – On the bench in front of the house, I am talking with my (male) neighbor about our neighborhood.

Declension of sąsiad (male neighbor, singular):

• Nominative: sąsiad
• Genitive: sąsiada
• Dative: sąsiadowi
• Accusative: sąsiada
• Instrumental: sąsiadem
• Locative: sąsiedzie

Why is it o naszym sąsiedztwie and not o nasze sąsiedztwo?

The preposition o meaning about / concerning takes the locative case.

The noun sąsiedztwo (neighborhood) is neuter; its locative singular is sąsiedztwie:

• Nominative: sąsiedztwo
• Locative: sąsiedztwie

The possessive nasz (our) must agree with the noun in case, number, and gender, so it also becomes locative singular neuter: naszym.

So:

• o naszym sąsiedztwie – about our neighborhood
  (o
  • locative noun sąsiedztwie
    • matching locative adjective naszym)

O nasze sąsiedztwo would be accusative and is ungrammatical with o in the meaning about.

Why does naszym end in -ym?

Naszym is the locative singular form of nasz (our) for:

• masculine and neuter nouns in locative singular.

Here it modifies sąsiedztwie (neuter, locative singular), so you get:

• o naszym sąsiedztwie

Other examples:

• o naszym domu – about our house (masc. locative: domu)
• o naszym mieście – about our city (neuter locative: mieście)

For a feminine noun in locative singular, you would use naszej:

• o naszej ulicy – about our street
• o naszej szkole – about our school

Can the word order be changed? For example, can I say Rozmawiam z sąsiadką na ławce przed domem o naszym sąsiedztwie?

Yes. Polish word order is fairly flexible, especially for adverbials (time, place, manner, etc.).

All of these are grammatical and natural, with very similar meaning:

• Na ławce przed domem rozmawiam z sąsiadką o naszym sąsiedztwie.
• Rozmawiam z sąsiadką na ławce przed domem o naszym sąsiedztwie.
• Z sąsiadką rozmawiam na ławce przed domem o naszym sąsiedztwie.

Differences in word order mainly affect emphasis or information structure (what is considered new or important), not basic grammar. Beginners are safe using the more “English-like” order:

• Rozmawiam z sąsiadką na ławce przed domem o naszym sąsiedztwie.

Can I leave out naszym and just say o sąsiedztwie?

Yes, you can say:

• Na ławce przed domem rozmawiam z sąsiadką o sąsiedztwie.

This still means I am talking with my neighbor about the neighborhood, but:

• o sąsiedztwie – about the neighborhood (more general, not marking it as specifically ours)
• o naszym sąsiedztwie – about our neighborhood (more specific, personal)

Often in context it’s obvious which neighborhood you mean, so both versions are possible; naszym just makes the connection explicit.

How do I know which case to use after each preposition in this sentence?

In this sentence, the prepositions require these cases:

• na ławce

  • na (on, at – static location) → locative
  • ławce = locative singular of ławka

• przed domem

  • przed (in front of) → instrumental
  • domem = instrumental singular of dom

• z sąsiadką

  • z (with) → instrumental
  • sąsiadką = instrumental singular of sąsiadka

• o naszym sąsiedztwie

  • o (about) → locative
  • naszym = locative sing. of nasz (matching sąsiedztwie)
  • sąsiedztwie = locative singular of sąsiedztwo

For each new preposition you learn, it’s worth memorizing which case(s) it takes with each meaning.