Learn Hardcore Polish: Nad nami świecą gwiazdy, a przy parkingu stoi żółta latarnia. - Above us stars are shining, and by the parking lot there is a yellow street lamp.

Nad nami świecą gwiazdy – starts with nad nami, so it emphasizes the location: “Above us, (there) shine the stars.”
Gwiazdy świecą nad nami – starts with gwiazdy, so it emphasizes the subject: “The stars are shining above us.”

Polish word order is fairly flexible. Moving phrases around usually changes what you highlight, not the basic meaning.

Why is it świecą and not something like świecą się? What’s the nuance?

Świecą is the 3rd person plural present form of świecić – “to shine, to glow, to be on (for lights)”.

gwiazdy świecą – the stars shine / are shining

You can sometimes see świecić się with lights, e.g.:

Lampy się świecą. – The lamps are lit / are on.

But with gwiazdy (stars), the non‑reflexive form świecą is the standard and neutral choice.
Gwiazdy się świecą can sound more colloquial or slightly childish; grammatically possible, but gwiazdy świecą is what you’d normally say.

What does przy parkingu mean exactly, and how is parkingu formed?

Przy parkingu means “by the parking lot / next to the parking lot / at the parking lot.”

przy = by, next to, at (very close to something)
parking (dictionary form) = parking lot
parkingu = locative case, singular: at/by the parking lot

The preposition przy always takes the locative case:

przy + czym? → przy parkingu (by the parking lot)
przy stole (at the table)
przy oknie (by the window)

So the base noun parking changes to locative parkingu after przy.

What is the difference between przy, obok, and koło? Could I say obok parkingu instead?

All three can be translated as “next to / by / near”, but there are nuances:

przy – very close, more like “right by / at”; often slightly more formal.
- przy parkingu – right next to the parking lot, at the parking lot
obok – next to, beside, usually indicating side‑by‑side position.
- obok parkingu – next to the parking lot (beside it)
koło – near, by, often a bit looser in distance; very common in speech.
- koło parkingu – near the parking lot

In your sentence, przy parkingu suggests the lamp is right at the edge of, or directly by, the parking lot.
Obok parkingu or koło parkingu would be grammatically correct but slightly different in feel (often a bit less “attached” to the parking).

Why is it stoi żółta latarnia and not jest żółta latarnia?

In Polish, stać (to stand) is very commonly used to describe the location of upright objects, instead of using być (to be).

Tu stoi żółta latarnia. – There is a yellow street lamp here (standing).
Na rogu stoi sklep. – There is a shop on the corner.

Using być would usually require a different structure and often a different nuance:

Tu jest żółta latarnia. – possible, but sounds more like “Here there is a yellow lamp”, a bit more neutral, less about its upright position.

Stoi adds a slight sense of “standing there as an object in space”, which is natural for things like posts, trees, buildings, lamps, etc.

Why is it żółta latarnia and not żółty latarnia?

Because the adjective must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun.

latarnia is feminine, singular, nominative.
(Most nouns ending in ‑a are feminine.)
The adjective żółty (yellow) changes its ending to match:
- masculine: żółty dom
- feminine: żółta latarnia
- neuter: żółte światło

So with latarnia (feminine), you must say żółta latarnia.

What exactly does latarnia mean? Is it just “lamp”?

Latarnia is not just any lamp. It usually means:

street lamp / lamp post
beacon / lighthouse (in context: latarnia morska = lighthouse)

In everyday city context, latarnia typically refers to:

a tall outdoor light on a pole – a street lamp

If you want a general lamp (like a desk lamp or bedside lamp), you’d use lampa:

lampa biurkowa – desk lamp
lampa nocna – bedside lamp

So in this sentence, żółta latarnia is best understood as “a yellow street lamp.”

Why is there a comma before a, and what is the difference between a and i?

In the sentence:

Nad nami świecą gwiazdy, a przy parkingu stoi żółta latarnia.

you have two independent clauses:

Nad nami świecą gwiazdy.
Przy parkingu stoi żółta latarnia.

They are joined by a, which is a conjunction similar to “and / while / whereas.”
In this kind of compound sentence, Polish requires a comma before „a”.

Difference between a and i:

i – neutral “and”, just adds information:
- Świecą gwiazdy i stoi latarnia. – The stars are shining and a lamp is standing.
a – often contrasts or separates two scenes or facts, like “and / while / whereas”:
- Świecą gwiazdy, a przy parkingu stoi latarnia.
  → Two distinct images: up above vs. by the parking lot.

So a here slightly emphasizes the contrast between the sky and the ground scene.

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” in gwiazdy and latarnia? How do I know if it’s “the stars” or “stars” / “a lamp” or “the lamp”?

Polish does not have articles (a, an, the). Nouns appear without them:

gwiazdy – can mean stars / the stars
latarnia – can mean a lamp / the lamp

Which English article you choose depends on context, not on a specific word in Polish. For this sentence, natural translations might be:

“The stars are shining above us, and there is a yellow street lamp by the parking lot.”
or
“Above us, stars are shining, and a yellow street lamp stands by the parking lot.”

Both are valid; the original Polish does not fix the choice between a and the.

What tense and aspect are świecą and stoi? Are they ongoing actions or general facts?

Both verbs are in the present tense and imperfective aspect:

świecą – 3rd person plural, present, imperfective of świecić
stoi – 3rd person singular, present, imperfective of stać

Imperfective present in Polish can describe:

What is happening right now
- The stars are shining (right now), and a yellow lamp is standing there.
Regular or typical situations
- (Whenever we are there,) the stars shine above us and there is a yellow lamp by the parking lot.

The sentence strongly suggests a current scene being described, but grammatically it’s the same form you would also use for general/habitual statements. Context decides which reading is intended.