W nocy ognisko ogrzewa nas, kiedy marzniemy.

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Breakdown of W nocy ognisko ogrzewa nas, kiedy marzniemy.

• nas: us
• marznąć: to freeze
• w nocy: at night

Questions & Answers about W nocy ognisko ogrzewa nas, kiedy marzniemy.

Why is it w nocy and not w noc?

In Polish, the preposition w (in, at) usually requires the locative case when talking about time or place.

• Nominative: noc (night)
• Locative: nocy

So you say:

• w nocy = at night
• w domu = at home
• w pracy = at work

Using w noc would be incorrect in standard Polish in this meaning. If you wanted to say something like one night as a direct object, you might use noc in another context, but with w in a time expression you need the locative, so w nocy.

Could I also say nocą instead of w nocy?

Yes. Nocą is an adverbial form meaning at night / during the night. It is very natural and common.

So you can say:

• W nocy ognisko ogrzewa nas, kiedy marzniemy.
• Nocą ognisko ogrzewa nas, kiedy marzniemy.

Both are correct and sound natural. W nocy is a prepositional phrase (preposition + noun in locative), while nocą is a single adverbial form, but in practice they often mean the same thing in such sentences.

Why is the word order W nocy ognisko ogrzewa nas and not Ognisko ogrzewa nas w nocy?