Questions & Answers about Moja mama jest w domu.
In Polish, possessive words like mój / moja / moje must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
- mój = my (masculine singular, nominative)
- moja = my (feminine singular, nominative)
- moje = my (neuter singular, nominative, or some plurals)
The noun mama is grammatically feminine, so in the nominative singular you must use moja:
- moja mama = my mom
- mój tata = my dad (tata is masculine)
- moje dziecko = my child (dziecko is neuter)
So mój mama is ungrammatical because mój does not match the feminine noun mama.
Yes, mama is informal and affectionate, just like mom / mum / mummy / momma in English.
Matka is the more neutral or formal word, closer to mother. It can sound:
- more formal (official documents, biology, etc.)
- colder or more distant in everyday speech, depending on the context and tone
Typical everyday speech:
- Moja mama jest w domu. – My mom is at home. (normal, warm)
More formal or neutral:
- Moja matka jest w domu. – My mother is at home. (can sound stiff in casual talk)
Most people talking about their own mother to friends will say mama.
Standard Polish needs the verb jest (is) in this sentence.
- Moja mama jest w domu. – grammatically correct: My mom is at home.
If you say Moja mama w domu, it sounds like very casual, elliptical speech, typical for:
- text messages
- quick spoken language
- notes or announcements (like on a board: Mama w domu)
But grammatically complete, neutral Polish requires the verb jest. For learners, you should always include jest in such sentences.
The preposition w (in, at) usually requires the locative case (in Polish: miejscownik) when it means in/at a place.
The noun dom (house, home) changes its form in the locative:
- dom (nominative: dictionary form)
- w domu (locative: after w in the meaning in/at the house/home)
So the pattern is:
- dom → w domu
- szkoła (school) → w szkole
- miasto (city) → w mieście
w dom would be incorrect in this context because the noun is not in the right case.
Mama is in the nominative case (Polish: mianownik).
The nominative is used mainly for:
- The subject of the sentence
- Moja mama = my mom (the subject: the person the sentence is about)
- The basic dictionary form of a noun
In Moja mama jest w domu, moja mama is the subject, so it must be in the nominative.
Domu is in the locative case (Polish: miejscownik).
The locative is almost always used after certain prepositions, mainly w (in, at) and na (on, at) when talking about location.
- dom (nominative – dictionary form)
- w domu (locative – after w, meaning in/at the house/home)
Other examples:
- w sklepie – in the shop (from sklep)
- w parku – in the park (from park)
- w kinie – at the cinema (from kino)
So dom becomes domu because the preposition w (in/at) forces the locative case here.
w domu can mean both in the house and at home, depending on context.
- Moja mama jest w domu.
Usually understood as My mom is at home.
If you need to emphasize the physical building, you can use context:
- Ona jest w domu, nie w ogrodzie. – She is in the house, not in the garden.
The phrase w domu is the standard way to say at home, even when it’s her house, my house, or a shared family home. You don’t need to say w moim domu unless you really want to stress whose house it is.
Yes, Polish word order is quite flexible, and all of these are possible:
Moja mama jest w domu.
Neutral: My mom is at home.Mama jest w domu.
Also neutral; just dropping moja. Meaning: Mom is at home.W domu jest moja mama.
Emphasizes the location or who is there:- Literally: In the house is my mom.
- Often used when you’re answering who is at home or where your mom is.
W domu jest mama.
Very natural answer to “Who is at home?”
Word order in Polish is often used to stress different parts of the sentence, but all these variants are grammatically correct.
To and jest have different roles:
To jest moja mama. – This is my mom.
Here to is a kind of dummy subject, used in identification sentences (X is Y).Moja mama jest w domu. – My mom is at home.
Here, moja mama is a real subject, and jest simply means is.
You cannot say:
- Moja mama to w domu. – incorrect in this meaning.
Use:
- To jest moja mama. – That/This is my mom. (identifying a person)
- Moja mama jest w domu. – My mom is at home. (saying where she is)
To make it negative, you add nie before the verb jest:
- Moja mama nie jest w domu. – My mom is not at home.
Pattern:
- Ktoś jest gdzieś. – Somebody is somewhere.
- Ktoś nie jest gdzieś. – Somebody is not somewhere.
Examples:
- On jest w pracy. – He is at work.
- On nie jest w pracy. – He is not at work.
There are two common ways:
Add czy at the beginning (very clear, neutral):
- Czy moja mama jest w domu? – Is my mom at home?
Just use rising intonation in speech, without czy:
- Moja mama jest w domu? – Is my mom at home?
Both are correct. In writing (especially for learners), czy is a safe and clear choice.
- moja – my (feminine, singular, nominative)
- mama – mom / mum
- jest – is (3rd person singular of być – to be)
- w – in / at
- domu – house/home (locative singular of dom)
So structurally it’s:
[my] [mom] [is] [in/at] [house/home] → My mom is at home.