Nasz blok jest blisko parku.

Our apartment building is near the park.

Breakdown of Nasz blok jest blisko parku.

• być: to be
• park: the park
• blisko: near
• nasz: our
• blok: the apartment block

Questions & Answers about Nasz blok jest blisko parku.

Why is it parku and not just park?

Because blisko (near/close to) is followed by the genitive case in Polish.

• park – nominative (dictionary form)
• parku – genitive

Many prepositions and preposition‑like words in Polish require a specific case. Blisko always takes the genitive:

• blisko czego? – parku, domu, szkoły
  (near what? – of the park, of the house, of the school)

So the structure is:
Nasz blok (nominative, subject) + jest + blisko + parku (genitive after blisko).

What exactly does blok mean here? Is it a “block” of houses or a single building?

In modern Polish, blok almost always means a block of flats / apartment building, usually a multi‑storey one.

It does not mean:

• a city block (that would more likely be kwartał or just ulica X / okolica Y)
• a single detached house (that would be dom)

So Nasz blok is best translated as Our apartment building (or our block of flats in British English).

Why is it nasz blok and not nasza blok or nasze blok?

The possessive pronoun nasz has to agree with the gender and number of the noun it modifies.

• blok is masculine singular → you use nasz.
• nasza is used with feminine singular nouns.
• nasze is used with neuter singular and non‑masculine personal plural nouns.

Compare:

• nasz blok – our (masc.) building
• nasza szkoła – our (fem.) school
• nasze mieszkanie – our (neut.) flat/apartment
• nasi sąsiedzi – our (masc. personal pl.) neighbours

What cases are nasz blok and parku in?

• nasz blok is in the nominative singular – it’s the subject of the sentence.
• parku is in the genitive singular – required by blisko.

Structure:

• Kto/co jest blisko parku? – Nasz blok.
  (Who/what is close to the park? – Our block.)

Could I say Nasz blok jest blisko do parku?

No. This is incorrect in Polish.

• blisko is used without any preposition like do.
  ✅ Nasz blok jest blisko parku.
  ❌ Nasz blok jest blisko do parku.

If you want to use do (“to”), you need a different verb, e.g.:

• Mamy blisko do parku. – We have a short distance to the park.
• Idziemy do parku. – We are going to the park.

What’s the difference between blisko parku and przy parku?

Both can be translated as near the park, but they feel slightly different:

• blisko parku – close to the park in terms of distance, fairly general.
• przy parku – more like right by the park, at the park, suggesting the building is directly next to / adjoining the park.

So:

• Nasz blok jest blisko parku. – Our building is near the park (not far away).
• Nasz blok jest przy parku. – Our building is right next to the park, kind of at the park.

Can I move blisko parku to the beginning or end of the sentence?

Yes, Polish word order is quite flexible. All of these are possible and correct:

• Nasz blok jest blisko parku. – neutral, standard.
• Blisko parku jest nasz blok. – puts more emphasis on nasz blok.
• Nasz blok blisko parku jest. – possible but sounds poetic / unusual in everyday speech.

In normal conversation, the original Nasz blok jest blisko parku. is the most natural.

Can I drop jest and just say Nasz blok blisko parku?

In standard, correct Polish, you should not drop jest here. You normally need the verb być (to be) in the present tense:

• ✅ Nasz blok jest blisko parku.

There are some colloquial or very specific contexts where jest can disappear (headlines, notes, very informal speech), but as a learner you should always include jest in sentences like this.

How would the sentence change with a feminine or a neuter noun instead of blok?

You only change the possessive pronoun and the noun; jest blisko parku stays the same:

• Feminine noun:
  Nasza szkoła jest blisko parku. – Our school is close to the park.
  (szkoła – fem., so nasza)

• Neuter noun:
  Nasze mieszkanie jest blisko parku. – Our flat is close to the park.
  (mieszkanie – neut., so nasze)

The phrase blisko parku does not change, because park is still masculine and still in the genitive.

How do blisko, niedaleko, and obok differ?

All three express proximity but with different nuances:

• blisko parku – close to the park, neutral “short distance”.
• niedaleko parku – not far from the park, slightly weaker; it literally means not far.
• obok parku – next to the park, beside the park, suggesting it’s right by it.

Examples:

• Nasz blok jest blisko parku. – Our block is close to the park.
• Nasz blok jest niedaleko parku. – Our block is not far from the park.
• Nasz blok jest obok parku. – Our block is (right) next to the park.

How would I say “We live close to the park” using blisko parku?

You can keep blisko parku and just change the subject and verb:

• Mieszkamy blisko parku. – We live close to the park.

Here:

• Mieszkamy – we live (1st person plural of mieszkać)
• blisko parku – same structure as before: blisko
  • genitive (parku)

How do you pronounce nasz, blok, and blisko?

Approximate English‑based guidance:

• nasz – /naʂ/

  • sz is like English sh in she, but a bit more retroflex (tongue slightly curled back).
  • Vowel a like a in father (shorter).

• blok – /blɔk/

  • o is like o in lot (British) or aw in law, depending on your accent.
  • Final k is clearly pronounced.

• blisko – /ˈbliskɔ/

  • i like ee in see.
  • s is always like s in sit, never like z.
  • Stress is on the first syllable: BLIS‑ko.