Learn Hardcore Polish: W naszym sąsiedztwie każda ławka ma inny widok na ulicę lub park. - In our neighborhood each bench has a different view of the street or the park.

The preposition w here takes the locative case, because it describes a static location (where something is): w + locative → w naszym sąsiedztwie.

Why is it naszym and not nasz or nasze?

The form of nasz (our) has to agree with the noun it describes in:

gender
number (singular/plural)
case

Sąsiedztwo (neighbourhood) is:

neuter
singular
in the locative case here (after w = in)

The declension of nasz (our) in singular is:

Masculine: nasz, naszego, naszemu, naszym, etc.
Neuter: nasze, naszego, naszemu, naszym, etc.
Feminine: nasza, naszej, etc.

In the locative singular, nasz has the same form for masculine and neuter: naszym.

So:

dictionary form: nasz
neuter noun sąsiedztwo in locative: w sąsiedztwie
matching possessive: w naszym sąsiedztwie

What is the base form of sąsiedztwie, and why does it look so different?

The base (dictionary) form is sąsiedztwo = neighbourhood.

Sąsiedztwie is:

locative singular: used after w (in) when describing location.

Declension (singular) of sąsiedztwo:

Nominative: sąsiedztwo (neighbourhood) – base form
Genitive: sąsiedztwa
Dative: sąsiedztwu
Accusative: sąsiedztwo
Instrumental: sąsiedztwem
Locative: sąsiedztwie
Vocative: (same as nominative) sąsiedztwo

The change -wo → -wie is a regular pattern in many neuter nouns in the locative.

Why is it każda ławka instead of a plural like wszystkie ławki?

Polish uses każda (every/each) with a singular noun:

każda ławka = every bench / each bench
każdy człowiek = every person
każde dziecko = every child

Każda focuses on each single item individually.

If you say:

wszystkie ławki mają inny widok = all the benches have a different view

you’re using the plural all benches, not every bench. Both are possible, but the nuance is slightly different:

każda ławka – emphasizes each one separately
wszystkie ławki – emphasizes the whole group

Why is it każda ławka, not każdy ławka?

Because ławka (bench) is feminine, and każdy/każda/każde must agree in gender with the noun:

Singular nominative:

Masculine: każdy (e.g. każdy stół – every table)
Feminine: każda (e.g. każda ławka – every bench)
Neuter: każde (e.g. każde dziecko – every child)

So the correct combination is:

każda ławka (feminine adjective + feminine noun)

Why do we say inny widok, and how does inny agree with widok?

Inny widok literally means a different view.

Widok (view) is:

masculine
singular
nominative here (subject complement: each bench has what? a different view → direct object in accusative, which for an inanimate masculine is same as nominative form)

Inny (different/other) has to match that:

masculine
singular
accusative inny widok (same form as nominative for inanimate masculine)

Examples of agreement with inny:

inny widok – a different view (masc.)
inna ławka – a different bench (fem.)
inne miasto – a different city (neuter)
inne ławki – different benches (plural)

So inny is chosen because widok is masculine.

Why is it widok na ulicę, not widok ulicy or widok na ulicy?

All three patterns exist in Polish, but they have different meanings.

widok na ulicę (accusative) – what you see when you look onto something
- literally: a view onto the street
- structure: widok na + accusative
- describes the direction or target of the view
  → widok na ulicę = a view of/onto the street (what you see from the bench)
widok ulicy (genitive) – the view of the street as an object/idea
- more like the view of the street as a thing you might describe or discuss
- common in more descriptive or abstract contexts
widok na ulicy (locative) – a view on the street (located there)
- would mean the view itself is located on the street, which is not what we want

In this sentence, the benches each have a view onto something (street or park), so the natural choice is:

widok na ulicę / na park.

Why does ulica become ulicę, but park stays park?

Because they are different genders and follow different declension patterns.

Ulica (street):

feminine noun
base form (nominative): ulica
accusative singular: ulicę

So:

na ulicę = onto the street (accusative, after na of direction)

Park (park):

masculine inanimate noun
base form (nominative): park
accusative singular: park (same as nominative)

So:

na park = onto the park

That’s why we say:

na ulicę lub park – both objects of na, both in accusative, but only the feminine ulica changes form.

What is the difference between na ulicę and na ulicy?

The difference is case and the meaning of na:

na ulicę – na + accusative
- direction: onto, to
- implies movement or “towards” a surface/place
- here: widok na ulicę = a view onto the street (the street is the thing seen)
na ulicy – na + locative
- location: on, in
- static position: on the street / in the street
- e.g. Siedzimy na ulicy. = We are sitting on the street.

In our sentence, the benches have a view onto the street, so we use na ulicę (accusative), not na ulicy.

Why is the conjunction lub used here instead of albo? Are lub and albo different?

Both lub and albo often translate as or, and in many everyday sentences they are interchangeable.

Subtle points:

lub is slightly more neutral / formal / general.
albo can feel a bit more conversational, and in some contexts can imply mutual exclusivity (either–or), though this is not strict.

In this sentence:

na ulicę lub park = onto the street or (onto) the park

You could also say:

na ulicę albo park

Both are correct. Lub sounds slightly more neutral or written-style, but the meaning here doesn’t really change.

Can we change the word order, for example: Każda ławka w naszym sąsiedztwie ma inny widok na ulicę lub park?

Yes. Polish word order is relatively flexible. Both are correct:

W naszym sąsiedztwie każda ławka ma inny widok na ulicę lub park.
- begins with the location in our neighbourhood, then specifies each bench
- slight emphasis on the neighbourhood as the setting
Każda ławka w naszym sąsiedztwie ma inny widok na ulicę lub park.
- begins with each bench, then narrows to in our neighbourhood
- slight emphasis on each bench

The core grammar (cases, gender, prepositions) does not change. Only nuance and focus shift.

How do you pronounce sąsiedztwie, and what is going on with all those consonants?

Sąsiedztwie is pronounced approximately like:
[son-SHYEDZ-tf-ye] (simplified for English speakers)

Breakdown:

są – nasal vowel, like “son” but with lips more rounded (Polish ą is roughly like on/om in French)
sie – like shye (because si before a vowel is soft, similar to English sh
- y)
dz – like ds in “kids”
twie – t-f-ye (the w is pronounced like English v)

Syllables: są-siedz-twie

The spelling reflects:

nasal vowel: ą
palatalization/softness: si
consonant cluster: dz
- tw

It looks scary, but saying it slowly in parts and speeding up helps:

są → są-sie → są-siedz → są-siedztwie.

Why does the sentence use ma and not mają, even though there are many benches?

Because the grammatical subject is każda ławka (every bench), which is singular, not plural.

ławka – one bench (singular)
ławki – benches (plural)

With każda (every/each), Polish always uses singular:

Każda ławka ma… = Every bench has…
Każdy dom ma… = Every house has…
Każde dziecko ma… = Every child has…

If you changed the subject to a plural, you would use mają:

W naszym sąsiedztwie wszystkie ławki mają inny widok…
= In our neighbourhood, all the benches have a different view…