Learn Hardcore Polish: Moja siostra interesuje się fotografią i często robi zdjęcia z balkonu. - My sister is interested in photography and often takes photos from the balcony.

Literally, moja siostra interesuje się fotografią is like saying “my sister interests herself in photography”, which corresponds to English “my sister is interested in photography”.

Because interesuje się is already a full verb (“is interested in”), you do not add jest:

✅ Moja siostra interesuje się fotografią.
❌ Moja siostra jest interesuje się fotografią. (incorrect)

Why is it fotografią and not fotografia?

The verb interesować się always takes the instrumental case in Polish.

The basic (dictionary) form is fotografia – nominative case.
After interesuje się, you must use the instrumental: fotografią.

For a typical feminine noun ending in -a, the instrumental singular ends in -ą:

fotografia → fotografią
muzyka (music) → muzyką
historia → historią

So the pattern is:

interesować się + [instrumental]
e.g. interesuję się muzyką, interesujesz się sportem.

What is the difference between fotografia and zdjęcie?

They are related but not the same:

fotografia
- Usually means photography as an activity or field (like English “photography”).
- Can also mean a photograph, but in modern everyday speech zdjęcie is more common for a single photo.
zdjęcie (plural: zdjęcia)
- Means a photo / picture / shot.
- In this sentence robi zdjęcia = “takes photos / pictures”.

So:

interesuje się fotografią – “she is interested in photography (as a hobby/art).”
robi zdjęcia – “she takes photos.”

Why do we say interesuje się fotografią, not something like jest zainteresowana fotografią?

Both exist, but they differ slightly:

interesować się czymś (with się
- instrumental case)
  Very common, neutral, and natural in everyday speech:
- Moja siostra interesuje się fotografią.
być zainteresowanym czymś (to be interested in something)
Sounds a bit more formal or situational, often used for specific offers, events, etc.:
- Moja siostra jest zainteresowana kursem fotografii.
  “My sister is interested in a photography course.”

For a general hobby, interesuje się fotografią is the default, most natural choice.

What is się, and can its position change? Could we say się interesuje?

się is a reflexive particle, part of many Polish reflexive verbs (like French se, Spanish se).

In interesuje się, the usual neutral word order is:

[verb] + się → interesuje się

Word order in Polish is flexible, but się rarely goes at the very beginning of the clause. You might see się before the verb in special emphatic or poetic word orders, but for a learner, you should stick to:

On interesuje się fotografią.
Moja siostra bardzo się interesuje fotografią. (here się is between an adverb and the verb, which is fine)

Avoid starting a sentence with się, and for this verb, do not replace interesuje się with się interesuje as your basic pattern.

Why is it robi zdjęcia instead of a verb that literally means “take a photo”?

In Polish, the most common everyday way to say “take photos” is:

robić zdjęcia – literally “to make/do photos”.

Other possibilities exist:

pstrykać zdjęcia / fotki – colloquial, like “snap photos”.
wykonywać zdjęcia – more technical/formal (e.g. for a professional photographer).

But robić zdjęcia is the standard, neutral phrase used in normal conversation, so:

często robi zdjęcia = “she often takes photos.”

Why is it zdjęcia (plural) and not zdjęcie (singular)?

In Polish, just like in English, when you talk about a habitual activity, you often use the plural if it naturally happens in quantities:

English: “She often takes photos” (not usually “a photo”).
Polish: Ona często robi zdjęcia.

Using the plural zdjęcia suggests multiple photos over time or in one session. You can say:

Często robi jedno zdjęcie. – “She often takes one photo.”

…but that would be a bit strange unless you really want to emphasize the number one. The neutral, natural form is robi zdjęcia.

Why do we say z balkonu and not na balkonie?

The preposition changes the meaning:

z balkonu – “from the balcony” (source/origin of the action)
- She is on the balcony and takes photos of things outside (e.g. the street, the yard).
- Focus: where she is when taking them.
na balkonie – “on the balcony” (location)
- Could mean she takes photos of the balcony itself, or simply that the action is happening there, without the “from” idea.
- More about the place where she is, less about the direction.

In this sentence, z balkonu emphasizes that the balcony is the vantage point: she takes pictures from there.

Why is it balkonu and not just balkon?

The preposition z (“from”) normally requires the genitive case when talking about movement from a place.

Basic form (nominative): balkon – “balcony”
Genitive singular: balkonu

So:

z balkonu – “from (the) balcony”
Compare:
- z domu – from (the) house
- z ogrodu – from (the) garden

Using just balkon after z would be incorrect in standard Polish.

Where can często go? Could we say Moja siostra często interesuje się fotografią?

często means “often” and is flexible in position. All of these are possible, but they differ slightly in emphasis:

Moja siostra interesuje się fotografią i często robi zdjęcia z balkonu.
– Neutral: “is interested in photography and often takes photos from the balcony.”
Moja siostra często robi zdjęcia z balkonu.
– Same meaning; często now directly modifies robi zdjęcia.
Moja siostra często interesuje się fotografią.
– Grammatically fine, but sounds odd: being “interested in” something is usually a more stable state, not something that happens “often” as a repeated action. We normally say ciągle, zawsze, bardzo with interesować się, not często.

So:

Put często near the verb describing the repeated action: robi zdjęcia.
With interesuje się, use adverbs like bardzo (a lot), szczególnie (particularly), rather than często.

Why is there no article like “the balcony” or “a balcony” in Polish?

Polish has no articles (no direct equivalents of English a / an / the). Whether the meaning is “a balcony” or “the balcony” is understood from context.

z balkonu can be:
- “from a balcony” (in general)
- “from the balcony” (the one you and the listener know about – e.g. her own balcony)

Context decides. Polish speakers simply don’t mark this difference with a separate word.

Does the present tense here mean she is doing it right now, or that she does it regularly?

The Polish present tense can express both current and habitual actions, like in English simple present vs present continuous.

In this sentence:

Moja siostra interesuje się fotografią
– Describes a general, ongoing state (she is a person who is interested in photography).
i często robi zdjęcia z balkonu.
– Describes a habitual action: she does it regularly, not just at this exact moment.

Polish does not need a special continuous form (“is taking”) to express this; the simple present is enough, context (with często) shows it is habitual.