Nożyczki leżą w szufladzie, a taśma stoi obok drukarki.

The scissors are lying in the drawer, and the tape is next to the printer.

Breakdown of Nożyczki leżą w szufladzie, a taśma stoi obok drukarki.

• w: in
• a: and
• obok: next to
• leżeć: to lie

Questions & Answers about Nożyczki leżą w szufladzie, a taśma stoi obok drukarki.

Why is nożyczki plural if scissors is just one thing?

In Polish, nożyczki is a plural-only noun. That means it refers to one object, but it is grammatically plural, just like English scissors.

So Polish treats nożyczki as plural in the same way English does:

• These scissors are...
• Nożyczki są...

Because of that, any verb or adjective used with nożyczki must also be in the plural.

Why is it leżą and not leży with nożyczki?

Because nożyczki is grammatically plural, the verb must also be plural.

• leży = is lying for a singular subject
• leżą = are lying for a plural subject

So:

• Książka leży = The book is lying
• Nożyczki leżą = The scissors are lying

Even though the scissors are one physical object, Polish grammar treats them as plural.

Why does Polish use leżą and stoi instead of just a general verb like is?