Mama siedzi w kuchni.

Mom is sitting in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Mama siedzi w kuchni.

• w: in
• kuchnia: the kitchen
• siedzieć: to sit
• mama: the mum

Questions & Answers about Mama siedzi w kuchni.

What does each word in Mama siedzi w kuchni correspond to in English?

Word by word:

• Mama – mom / mum / mother
• siedzi – sits or is sitting (3rd person singular of siedzieć – to sit)
• w – in
• kuchni – kitchen (in the locative case: in the kitchen)

So the whole sentence is: Mom is sitting in the kitchen / Mom sits in the kitchen.

Why is it kuchni and not kuchnia?

Polish changes the form of nouns depending on case.

• The basic (dictionary) form is kuchnia (nominative: a kitchen / the kitchen).
• After the preposition w meaning in (for location, not movement), Polish uses the locative case.
• The locative form of kuchnia is kuchni.

So:

• kuchnia – kitchen (as the subject: Kuchnia jest duża – The kitchen is big)
• w kuchni – in the kitchen (location: Mama siedzi w kuchni)

Why does w use the locative case here? When would it use another case?

The preposition w can take two different cases, depending on meaning:

1. Locative (where? – static location)

   • Used when something is in a place and not moving.
   • Example: Mama siedzi w kuchni – Mom is sitting in the kitchen.

2. Accusative (where to? – movement into)

   • Used when there is movement into something.
   • Example: Idę w kuchnię is possible in some contexts, but much more natural is Idę do kuchni – I am going to the kitchen.

In everyday Polish:

• w + locative – standard for in (location).
• do + genitive – standard for to / into (movement to a destination).

So in Mama siedzi w kuchni, you are talking about where she is, not where she is going, so you use w + locative (kuchni).

Why is there no separate word for “is”? Why not Mama jest siedzi w kuchni?

Polish normally has only one main verb in a simple sentence. The verb siedzi already contains the idea of is sitting:

• siedzi ≈ is sitting / sits

You cannot say Mama jest siedzi w kuchni – that is incorrect, because that would be like saying Mom is is sitting in the kitchen.

Use:

• Mama jest w kuchni. – Mom is in the kitchen. (linking verb + location)
• Mama siedzi w kuchni. – Mom is sitting in the kitchen. (main verb describes posture)

What’s the difference between siedzi and siada?

They are different verbs/aspects:

• siedzi – from siedzieć, imperfective, describes a state:

  • is sitting, sits (she is in a sitting position)

• siada – from siadać, imperfective, describes the process of starting to sit:

  • is sitting down, sits down (the action of moving from standing to sitting)

So:

• Mama siedzi w kuchni. – Mom is (already) sitting in the kitchen.
• Mama siada w kuchni. – Mom is sitting down in the kitchen. (she is in the process of sitting)

What tense is siedzi? Does it mean “sits” or “is sitting”?

Siedzi is:

• 3rd person singular present tense
• imperfective aspect
• from siedzieć (to sit)

In English it can correspond to either:

• Mom sits in the kitchen. (habitual / general)
• Mom is sitting in the kitchen. (right now)

Polish present tense often covers both English simple present and present continuous, and context tells you which is meant.

What is the infinitive of siedzi, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is siedzieć – to sit.

Present tense (imperfective) conjugation:

• ja siedzę – I sit / am sitting
• ty siedzisz – you sit / are sitting (sg., informal)
• on / ona / ono siedzi – he / she / it sits / is sitting
• my siedzimy – we sit / are sitting
• wy siedzicie – you sit / are sitting (pl.)
• oni / one siedzą – they sit / are sitting

In the sentence Mama siedzi w kuchni, we use siedzi (she).

Why is Mama capitalized? Is mama a proper name in Polish?

Mama is capitalized here because it is the first word of the sentence. In general:

• As a common noun, it is written mama (mom / mum), not capitalized.
• At the beginning of a sentence, M is capitalized, just like in English.
• When directly addressing your mother in writing (like in a letter), Poles often capitalize out of respect:
  
  • Mamo, kocham Cię. – Mom, I love you.

But in a neutral sentence in the middle of a text, it would be mama siedzi w kuchni (lowercase m).

What’s the difference between mama and matka?

Both refer to a mother, but register and feeling differ:

• mama

  • everyday, warm, informal
  • like mom / mum / mommy
  • what most people call their own mother

• matka

  • more formal, neutral or even cold
  • used in official, legal, biological contexts (e.g. matka dziecka – the mother of the child)
  • can sound harsh if used about your own mother in casual speech

So Mama siedzi w kuchni feels natural, homely.
Matka siedzi w kuchni can sound distant or a bit rough, depending on tone and context.

Does Mama mean specifically “my mom” here?

In context, usually yes.

Polish often drops possessive adjectives (mój / moja / moje) when it is obvious whose family member you mean. So:

• Mama siedzi w kuchni. – usually understood as My mom is sitting in the kitchen.
• If you really need to be explicit, you can say:
  
  • Moja mama siedzi w kuchni. – My mom is sitting in the kitchen.

If you want to talk about some other mother (not yours), you usually clarify, e.g.:

• Jego mama siedzi w kuchni. – His mom is sitting in the kitchen.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say W kuchni siedzi mama or Mama w kuchni siedzi?

Polish word order is flexible, and all of these are possible, with different emphasis:

• Mama siedzi w kuchni.
  Neutral, basic order. Subject–verb–place.

• W kuchni siedzi mama.
  Emphasizes the location first (In the kitchen, mom is sitting). Often answers Where is mom?

• Mama w kuchni siedzi.
  Puts extra focus on the fact that it is in the kitchen that she is sitting (can sound a bit expressive or contrastive: Mom is sitting in the kitchen (not somewhere else)).

Grammatically, all are correct; the difference is nuance and focus, not correctness.

How would I say this in the past or future tense?

Past tense (feminine subject – mama):

• Mama siedziała w kuchni. – Mom was sitting in the kitchen / Mom sat in the kitchen.

Future tense:

Imperfective future (ongoing / repeated action in the future):

• Mama będzie siedzieć w kuchni. – Mom will be sitting in the kitchen / will sit (habitually) in the kitchen.

There is no common perfective “to sit” that would correspond neatly to will sit (once and finished); usually you’d rephrase (e.g. with usiąść – to sit down):

• Mama usiądzie w kuchni. – Mom will sit down in the kitchen. (focus on the moment she takes a seat)

How is Mama siedzi w kuchni pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (with English-like hints):

• Mama – MAH-ma (both a like in father)
• siedzi – roughly SHYE-djee
  
  • sie is like shye
  • dzi is like jee but with a softer d at the start
• w – here sounds like f, because it is followed by a voiceless consonant (k in kuchni)
• kuchni – roughly KOOH-khnee
  
  • ku like koo
  • ch like German Bach or Scottish loch (a throaty h / kh)
  • ni is a soft ny sound, like ńi

In IPA (careful approximation): ['mama 'ɕɛ.d͡ʑi f 'kux.ɲi]

Why is there no word for “the” or “a”? How do I know if it’s “the kitchen” or “a kitchen”?

Polish has no articles (no equivalents of a / an / the). Nouns like kuchnia / kuchni can be translated as:

• a kitchen
• the kitchen

depending on context.

In Mama siedzi w kuchni, the natural English translation is “(My) mom is sitting in the kitchen” – with the, because we usually talk about the specific family kitchen that both speaker and listener know about.

Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context, not from a word like the or a.

How would I say simply “Mom is in the kitchen” without mentioning that she’s sitting?

You would use być (to be) plus a location:

• Mama jest w kuchni.

This means:

• Mom is in the kitchen. (no information about whether she is sitting, standing, etc.)

So:

• Mama jest w kuchni. – Mom is in the kitchen.
• Mama siedzi w kuchni. – Mom is sitting in the kitchen. (gives posture)