Learn Hardcore Polish: Niebieskie niebo w dzień wygląda spokojnie nad górą. - The blue sky in the daytime looks calm above the mountain.

In Niebieskie niebo w dzień wygląda spokojnie nad górą, niebo is “what looks calm” (the subject), so it must be in the nominative: niebo, not nieba or niebie.

Why do we say w dzień and not w dniu here?

Both w dzień and w dniu are grammatically possible, but they differ in usage and style.

w dzień
- Case: accusative singular of dzień
- Meaning: “during the day / in the daytime”
- Very common and neutral in everyday speech.
- Functions like an adverbial time phrase.
w dniu
- Case: locative singular of dzień
- Typically used with more formal or specific dates, e.g.:
  - w dniu 3 maja – on the 3rd of May
- Sounds more official, legal, or ceremonial.

In this sentence we’re talking about time in general (“in the daytime”), not a specific date, so w dzień is the natural, idiomatic choice.

What case is dzień in w dzień, and how can I tell?

In w dzień, the word dzień is in the accusative singular.

Why it’s hard to see:

For masculine inanimate nouns like dzień, the nominative and accusative forms are identical:
- Nominative: dzień (day)
- Accusative: dzień (day)

Here, the preposition w + accusative is used to express “during (time)”:

w dzień – during the day
w noc (rare; usually w nocy, locative) – during the night

So even though it looks like nominative, w dzień is actually “w” + accusative used as a time expression.

Why is there no word for “the” before sky or mountain in Polish?

Polish has no articles (no words like the, a, an).

So:

niebo can mean “sky”, “the sky”, or even “a sky” depending on context.
góra can mean “a mountain” or “the mountain”.

The definiteness (a/the) is understood from context, not from a separate word. English has to choose between “a” and “the”; Polish simply uses the bare noun.

Why is it spokojnie and not spokojny after wygląda?

spokojnie is an adverb (“calmly”), while spokojny is an adjective (“calm”).

The verb wyglądać often takes an adverb when describing how something looks:

wygląda spokojnie – it looks calm / it looks in a calm way
wygląda pięknie – it looks beautiful(ly)
wygląda dziwnie – it looks strange(ly)

If you used spokojny (adjective), you would normally pair it with jest:

Niebo jest spokojne. – The sky is calm.

So:

wygląda spokojnie – focuses on appearance (“looks calm”).
jest spokojne – states a quality as a fact (“is calm”).

In your sentence, wygląda spokojnie is more like “appears calm” rather than simply “is calm”.

Could we say Niebo jest spokojne w dzień nad górą instead? How would it differ?

Yes, you can say:

Niebieskie niebo jest spokojne w dzień nad górą.

Differences:

wygląda spokojnie – emphasizes appearance, what it looks like.
jest spokojne – states a more direct state/quality.

English nuance:

looks calm vs is calm

Both are correct, but wygląda spokojnie has a slightly more visual, descriptive feel: you’re describing how it appears to you.

Why do we say nad górą with -ą at the end?

The noun góra (mountain) is:

gender: feminine
number: singular
here: instrumental case → górą

The preposition nad (“over, above”) can take instrumental (for location) or accusative (for movement):

nad
- instrumental → static location (“above something”):
  - nad górą – above the mountain (not moving)
nad
- accusative → movement to a position above:
  - lecą nad górę – they are flying (to a point) above the mountain

In your sentence, the sky is simply located above the mountain, not moving to that position, so nad górą (instrumental) is correct.

What is the difference between nad górą and nad górę?

The difference is case and meaning:

nad górą – instrumental
- Used for location: being above something.
- Example:
  - Niebieskie niebo wygląda spokojnie nad górą. – The blue sky looks calm above the mountain.
nad górę – accusative
- Used for motion toward a position above something.
- Example:
  - Ptaki lecą nad górę. – The birds are flying up over the mountain (towards a position above it).

In this sentence, nothing is moving; the sky is just situated above the mountain, so nad górą is the correct choice.

Can the word order be changed, like W dzień niebieskie niebo wygląda spokojnie nad górą? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is still grammatically correct.

Polish has a fairly flexible word order. You can say, for example:

Niebieskie niebo w dzień wygląda spokojnie nad górą.
W dzień niebieskie niebo wygląda spokojnie nad górą.
Niebieskie niebo wygląda spokojnie w dzień nad górą.

All are possible. The differences are mostly about emphasis and rhythm:

Starting with W dzień puts more focus on the time (“During the day, the blue sky looks calm above the mountain.”).
Keeping Niebieskie niebo at the start highlights the sky as the topic.

But the basic meaning stays the same.

How do you pronounce tricky parts like niebo, dzień, and górą?

Some key points:

niebo: [ˈɲɛ.bɔ]
- ni before a vowel is pronounced like a soft ń sound.
- Roughly: NYEH-bo (but shorter and smoother than English “ny”).
dzień: [d͡ʑeɲ]
- dz
  - i/e makes a soft sound like “j” in “jeans” but softer.
- The final ń is a palatal n, like Spanish ñ.
- Roughly: JEN (with a soft “j” and soft “n”).
górą: [ˈgu.rɔ̃]
- ó is pronounced like English “oo” in “food”: goo-.
- ą is a nasal vowel. At the end of a word, it often sounds like “on/om”:
  - Something like GOO-ron (nasal “on”), but with the vowel nasalised rather than adding a clear “n”.

Hearing native audio will help a lot with these soft and nasal sounds.

Could we use błękitne niebo instead of niebieskie niebo?

Yes, you can say:

Błękitne niebo w dzień wygląda spokojnie nad górą.

Both niebieskie and błękitne mean shades of blue, but there’s a nuance:

niebieski – general blue (any shade).
błękitny – specifically light, sky-blue, more poetic or visual.

For the sky, both are natural:

niebieskie niebo – blue sky
błękitne niebo – sky-blue / light blue sky, often a bit more poetic.

Grammatically, they behave the same: błękitne is also neuter nominative singular, matching niebo.

Why is it w dzień here and not something like podczas dnia or za dnia?

All three are possible in Polish, but they differ slightly in style and frequency:

w dzień
- Very common, everyday.
- Neutral, simple: “in the daytime / during the day.”
za dnia
- Also natural, a bit more literary / descriptive.
- Very idiomatic for contrast with night:
  - Za dnia jest jasno, w nocy ciemno.
podczas dnia
- Feels a bit more formal or abstract (“during the daytime period”).
- More common in explanatory or written contexts.

In your sentence, w dzień is the most neutral and natural choice, which is why it’s used.