Ten blok stoi obok parku.

This apartment building stands next to the park.

Breakdown of Ten blok stoi obok parku.

• park: the park
• ten: this
• obok: next to
• stać: to stand
• blok: the block

Questions & Answers about Ten blok stoi obok parku.

Why is it ten blok and not ta blok or to blok?

In Polish, demonstrative pronouns like ten / ta / to must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• blok is a masculine inanimate noun.
• The basic forms of this are:
  
  • ten – masculine
  • ta – feminine
  • to – neuter

So with blok you must use ten: ten blok.

If the noun were feminine (e.g. ulica – street), you would say ta ulica; if neuter (e.g. miasto – city), to miasto.

What exactly does blok mean here? Is it just “block”?

In Polish, blok usually means an apartment building, often a multi-storey block of flats (especially the kind common in cities and housing estates).

It doesn’t normally mean:

• a city block
• a physical block like a block of wood (that would usually be klocek, blok drewna, etc.)

So Ten blok stoi obok parku normally means:
This apartment building stands next to the park.

Why is the verb stoi used instead of jest?

Polish often uses more specific position verbs instead of the general verb być (to be).

• stać → stoi: to stand
• leżeć → leży: to lie
• siedzieć → siedzi: to sit

For buildings and other vertical objects, Polish commonly uses stać (to stand) to describe where they are located.
So Ten blok stoi obok parku literally is This block stands next to the park, but in natural English we say is next to.

You could say Ten blok jest obok parku, and it’s grammatically correct, but stoi sounds more natural when talking about buildings.

What form of the verb is stoi, and what is the infinitive?

• The infinitive is stać – to stand.
• stoi is 3rd person singular, present tense: he/she/it stands or is standing.

So structurally, the sentence is:

• Ten blok – this block (subject)
• stoi – stands (verb)
• obok parku – next to the park (adverbial phrase of place)

Why is it obok parku and not obok park? What case is parku?

obok is a preposition that requires the genitive case.

• park is the nominative form (dictionary form).
• The genitive singular of park is parku.

Many prepositions in Polish take genitive. obok (next to, beside) is one of them, so you must say:

• obok parku – next to the park
• obok domu – next to the house
• obok szkoły – next to the school

What does obok mean exactly, and how is it different from przy or koło?

All three can express physical proximity, but there are nuances:

• obok – next to, beside, typically right next to something
• przy – by, at, often a bit closer, with a sense of being adjacent or attached to the same spot
• koło – near, around, often a bit less precise, like near or in the vicinity of

In your sentence, you could also hear:

• Ten blok stoi przy parku.
• Ten blok stoi koło parku.

All are understandable, but:

• obok parku emphasizes being right next to the park.
• przy parku suggests being by the park (commonly used too).
• koło parku can feel a bit looser: near the park.

Could we drop ten and just say Blok stoi obok parku?

Yes.

• Ten blok stoi obok parku. – This block stands next to the park.
• Blok stoi obok parku. – The block stands next to the park. / A block stands next to the park.

Without ten, the sentence is more neutral or indefinite. It does not strongly point to a specific block already present in the context. With ten, you clearly indicate a specific, identifiable block (for example, one you are pointing at).

Is Ten blok stoi obok parku different from Ten blok jest obok parku in meaning?

Both are grammatically correct and understandable, but there is a nuance:

• Ten blok stoi obok parku. – more natural, especially when describing the location of a building; uses the typical Polish position verb.
• Ten blok jest obok parku. – also correct; sounds a bit more neutral or abstract, focusing on simple existence/location rather than the manner of being there.

In everyday speech, people much more often say stoi about buildings.

Why is the word order Ten blok stoi and not Stoi ten blok?

Polish word order is relatively flexible, and both are possible. The choice affects emphasis:

• Ten blok stoi obok parku.

  • Neutral statement: This block is next to the park.
  • Subject (ten blok) comes first, like English.

• Stoi ten blok obok parku.

  • Feels more stylistic or emphatic, a bit like: There stands this block next to the park.
  • You might see or hear this in more descriptive or literary speech.

For learners, the subject–verb–rest order (Ten blok stoi...) is the safest default.

What is the full declension of park in the singular, so I can see where parku comes from?

park is a regular masculine inanimate noun. Singular forms:

• Nominative (kto? co?) – park
• Genitive (kogo? czego?) – parku
• Dative (komu? czemu?) – parkowi
• Accusative (kogo? co?) – park
• Instrumental (z kim? z czym?) – parkiem
• Locative (o kim? o czym?) – parku
• Vocative (o!) – parku (same as genitive/locative in this case)

obok requires the genitive, so you use parku.

How do you pronounce Ten blok stoi obok parku?

Approximate pronunciation (English-style):

• Ten – like ten in English
• blok – like English block (short o)
• stoi – STOY (like stoy in stoy-ic, not exactly stoy in English but close: sto-ee quickly together)
• obok – O-bok (first o like o in not, second like o in or, but both short)
• parku – PAR-koo (rolled or tapped r)

Said smoothly: Ten blok stoi obok parku.

• Stress is always on the second-to-last syllable: blok STO-i O-bok PAR-ku.

Is blok always masculine, or can it change gender in other forms?

blok is always masculine inanimate, regardless of case or number. Its gender does not change.

• Singular:

  • Nominative: blok
  • Genitive: bloku
  • Dative: blokowi
  • Accusative: blok
  • Instrumental: blokiem
  • Locative: bloku

• Plural nominative: bloki

Because it is masculine, it pairs with:

• ten blok (this block)
• masculine adjective forms like duży blok, nowy blok, etc.