Moja poduszka leży na łóżku.

My pillow is lying on the bed.

Breakdown of Moja poduszka leży na łóżku.

• mój: my
• na: on
• łóżko: the bed
• leżeć: to lie
• poduszka: the pillow

Questions & Answers about Moja poduszka leży na łóżku.

Why is it moja poduszka and not mój poduszka?

In Polish, possessive adjectives must agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.

• poduszka is a feminine noun (it has the typical feminine ending -a in the nominative singular).
• The basic feminine form of “my” is moja.

So:

• masculine: mój (e.g. mój telefon – my phone)
• feminine: moja (e.g. moja poduszka – my pillow)
• neuter: moje (e.g. moje łóżko – my bed)

Because poduszka is feminine, you must say moja poduszka, not mój poduszka.

What case is poduszka in, and why?

Poduszka is in the nominative singular (basic dictionary form).

Reasons:

• It is the subject of the sentence.
• It answers the question “what is lying?” – poduszka is the thing doing the action of lying.

In Polish, the subject normally appears in the nominative case, so poduszka stays in its base form.

Why do we say leży and not jest (like “is”)?

Polish often uses more specific verbs of position instead of być (to be) in such sentences.

• leżeć = to lie (to be in a lying position)
• leży = he/she/it lies or is lying

In English, you commonly say “My pillow is on the bed.”
In Polish, it is more natural to say literally:

• Moja poduszka leży na łóżku. = My pillow lies on the bed.

You could say Moja poduszka jest na łóżku, and it is understandable, but for objects in a specific position, Polish prefers:

• leżeć – to lie (horizontal)
• stać – to stand (vertical)
• siedzieć – to sit

So leży is chosen because a pillow normally lies.

How is the verb leżeć conjugated in the present tense?

Leżeć (to lie) in the present tense:

• ja leżę – I lie / I am lying
• ty leżysz – you lie (singular, informal)
• on / ona / ono leży – he / she / it lies
• my leżymy – we lie
• wy leżycie – you lie (plural)
• oni / one leżą – they lie

In the sentence Moja poduszka leży na łóżku, poduszka is she/it, so you use the 3rd person singular form leży.

Why is it na łóżku and not na łóżko?

The preposition na can take two different cases with different meanings:

1. na + locative (static location: “on, at” – no movement):

   • Moja poduszka leży na łóżku.
     My pillow lies on the bed. (it is already there, no movement)
   • łóżku is the locative form of łóżko.

2. na + accusative (movement towards: “onto, to”):

   • Kładę poduszkę na łóżko.
     I am putting the pillow onto the bed. (movement toward the bed)

In your sentence there is no movement, only location, so na requires the locative case: na łóżku.

What case is łóżku, and what is the base form of this noun?

• The base (dictionary) form is łóżko – a bed (neuter).
• In the sentence, łóżku is in the locative singular.

Pattern:

• Nominative (basic form): łóżko – a bed
• Locative singular (after na, w, etc. for location): łóżku – on the bed, in the bed

So na łóżku literally means “on the bed”, with łóżku in the locative case.

Is the word order fixed, or can I say Na łóżku leży moja poduszka?

You can absolutely say Na łóżku leży moja poduszka. Both sentences are correct:

• Moja poduszka leży na łóżku.
• Na łóżku leży moja poduszka.

Differences:

• Moja poduszka leży na łóżku. – neutral; you start with “my pillow.”
• Na łóżku leży moja poduszka. – you emphasize where it is (on the bed), and then reveal what is there (my pillow).

Polish word order is relatively flexible because the cases show who does what. Changing the order often changes emphasis, not basic meaning.

Do I always need to say moja, or can I just say Poduszka leży na łóżku?

You do not always need to say moja. Both are possible:

• Moja poduszka leży na łóżku. – My pillow lies on the bed.
• Poduszka leży na łóżku. – A / the pillow lies on the bed.

In Polish there are no articles (“a”, “the”), so:

• poduszka can mean a pillow or the pillow, depending on context.
• If it is clear from context that you are talking about your pillow, people will understand that even without moja.
• Use moja when you specifically want to emphasize or clarify ownership.

How is the whole sentence pronounced?

Pronunciation (approximate):

• Moja – MO-ya (IPA: /ˈmɔ.ja/)
• poduszka – po-DUSH-ka (IPA: /pɔˈduʂ.ka/)
• leży – LE-zhi (IPA: /ˈlɛ.ʐɨ/)
• na – na (IPA: /na/)
• łóżku – WOOSH-koo (IPA: /ˈwuʂ.ku/)

Full sentence:
Moja poduszka leży na łóżku.
IPA: /ˈmɔ.ja pɔˈduʂ.ka ˈlɛ.ʐɨ na ˈwuʂ.ku/

Notes:

• ł is pronounced like English w.
• ó is pronounced like u.
• sz = sh as in “ship”, but a bit harder (IPA /ʂ/).
• ż = the sound in English “vision” (IPA /ʐ/).
• Stress in Polish is almost always on the second-to-last syllable: MO-ja po-DU-szka LE-ży na ŁÓŻ-ku (the capitalized syllables are stressed).

What gender is poduszka, and how does that affect other words in the sentence?

Poduszka is feminine.

This affects:

1. The possessive:

   • feminine: moja poduszka
   • masculine: mój poduszka – incorrect
   • neuter: moje łóżko

2. Any adjective describing it:

   • miękka poduszka – a soft pillow
   • moja miękka poduszka – my soft pillow

So every word that needs to agree with poduszka (adjectives, possessives, certain pronouns) will take the feminine form.

Is there any difference between “lies” and “is lying” in Polish here?

Polish does not have a separate continuous tense like English (is lying).

The single form leży can mean both:

• My pillow lies on the bed.
• My pillow is lying on the bed.

Context tells you whether it is a general statement or something happening right now. Grammatically, they are the same form in Polish.

Are there more colloquial or different words for poduszka that I might hear?

Yes, you might hear some informal or diminutive forms:

• podusia – cute, diminutive form of poduszka
• jasiek – often used for a small bed pillow in Poland

Examples:

• Gdzie jest moja podusia? – Where is my little pillow?
• Mój jasiek leży na łóżku. – My little pillow lies on the bed.

In standard, neutral speech, poduszka is the normal word, as in your sentence.