Pokrywka leży teraz obok garnka, bo zupa jest za gorąca.

to be

Breakdown of Pokrywka leży teraz obok garnka, bo zupa jest za gorąca.

• bo: because
• teraz: now
• gorący: hot

Questions & Answers about Pokrywka leży teraz obok garnka, bo zupa jest za gorąca.

Why is pokrywka in this form, and not pokrywkę?

Pokrywka is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.

• pokrywka = lid as the subject
• pokrywkę would be accusative, usually used for a direct object

Compare:

• Pokrywka leży obok garnka. = The lid is lying next to the pot.
• Widzę pokrywkę. = I see the lid.

So here, the lid is the thing doing the lying/resting, which is why Polish uses pokrywka.

What does leży mean here?

Leży means lies, is lying, or more naturally in English, is lying/resting.

It comes from the verb leżeć = to lie / to be lying.

In Polish, this verb is often used for objects that are in a resting position. So:

• Książka leży na stole. = The book is lying on the table.
• Pokrywka leży obok garnka. = The lid is lying next to the pot.

English often just says is or is sitting, but Polish frequently chooses a more specific verb like:

• leżeć = to lie
• stać = to stand
• wisieć = to hang