Park jest daleko.

The park is far away.

Breakdown of Park jest daleko.

• być: to be
• park: the park
• daleko: far

Questions & Answers about Park jest daleko.

Can you break down what each word in Park jest daleko corresponds to in English?

Word by word:

• Park = park
• jest = is (3rd person singular of być – to be)
• daleko = far / far away

So the structure is literally: Park – is – far.

Why is there no word for “the” before park?

Polish does not use articles at all. There is no the, a, or an.

Whether you mean a park or the park is understood from context, not from a separate word. So:

• Park jest daleko.
  can mean:
• The park is far (away).
  or
• A park is far (away).

in English, depending on what you’re talking about.

Why is it daleko and not something like daleki that looks more like an adjective?

Daleko is an adverb, roughly far / far away.
Daleki is an adjective, far / distant (used before a noun).

Polish prefers an adverb in this kind of sentence:

• Park jest daleko. = The park is far (away).
  (literally: The park is farly / at a far distance.)

Daleki is used when you describe a noun directly:

• daleki park = a distant park
• daleka szkoła = a distant school

You can say Park jest daleki, but it sounds more literary/poetic or like you’re characterizing the park as a “distant one” in some more abstract way.
For everyday distance in space, Park jest daleko is the natural choice.

So what part of speech is daleko, and how is it used?

Daleko is an adverb of place/distance: far, far away.

Common patterns:

• With jest / był etc.:

  • Park jest daleko. – The park is far away.
  • To było daleko. – That was far away.

• With motion verbs:

  • Idziemy daleko. – We’re going far (away).
  • Nie odchodź daleko. – Don’t go far (away).

• With stąd (from here):

  • Park jest daleko stąd. – The park is far from here.

What case is park in here, and why?

In Park jest daleko, park is in the nominative case.

Rules here:

• The subject of the sentence (the thing that is something) uses the nominative.
• After jest (is) when you simply state what or how something is, the subject is also in the nominative.

So:

• Park jest daleko.
  
  • Park = subject, nominative, masculine inanimate noun.

Does park change its form in other situations?

Yes, like most Polish nouns, park declines (changes endings depending on case). Very commonly:

• Nominative (subject): park

  • Park jest daleko. – The park is far away.

• Genitive (after some prepositions, or “of the park”): parku

  • Nie ma parku. – There is no park.
  • Wejście do parku. – Entrance to the park.

• Locative (after w, o meaning in / about): parku

  • Mieszkam w parku. – I live in the park. (odd, but grammatically fine)

So in your sentence it’s nominative park because it’s just the subject.

Can I omit jest and just say Park daleko, like in some other Slavic languages?

In standard Polish, you normally cannot drop jest in this sentence.
Park daleko sounds incomplete or foreign-influenced.

Correct standard forms:

• Park jest daleko. – The park is far away.
• Park był daleko. – The park was far away.

In very informal, telegraphic, or stylized speech (or headlines) you might see omissions like:

• Park daleko od centrum. – like a note on a map or sign.

But as a learner, assume you need jest here.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Daleko jest park?

Basic, neutral order is:

• Park jest daleko.

You can say Daleko jest park, but it:

• is much less common,
• sounds marked, with emphasis on daleko (like “It’s far that the park is”).

You might see variations when you add more detail:

• Daleko stąd jest park. – There is a park far from here.
• Tam daleko jest park. – Over there, far away, there is a park.

For everyday speaking, stick to Park jest daleko as the standard word order.

How do I turn Park jest daleko into a yes–no question, like “Is the park far?”?

You can do it in two common ways.

1. Just use questioning intonation (very natural in speech):

   • Park jest daleko? – The park is far (away)? = Is the park far?

2. Use czy at the start (more explicit, textbook-like):

   • Czy park jest daleko? – Is the park far (away)?

Both are correct; in casual spoken Polish, people often just raise their voice at the end: Park jest daleko?

How do I make it negative, like “The park is not far”?

Add nie before jest:

• Park nie jest daleko. – The park is not far (away).

Notice:

• nie comes directly before the verb jest.
• daleko stays the same; you don’t change its form.

Spoken English might also render this as: The park isn’t very far.

How can I say “The park is far from here / from the city / from my house”?

You add a phrase with od (from) or use stąd (from here).

Examples:

• Park jest daleko stąd. – The park is far from here.
• Park jest daleko od miasta. – The park is far from the city.
• Park jest daleko od mojego domu. – The park is far from my house.

Pattern:
[place] jest daleko od [something in genitive].

How should I pronounce Park jest daleko? Where is the stress?

Pronunciation notes:

• Park – one syllable, like English park, but:
  • r is rolled or tapped (like in Spanish/Italian), not like English r.
• jest – sounds roughly like yest:
  • j = English y in yes
  • e as in met
  • st as in stay
• daleko – da-LE-ko (stress on the second syllable):
  • da – like da in dark (but short)
  • le – like le in let
  • ko – like co in cot

Polish stress is almost always on the second-to-last syllable, so: da-LE-ko.