Konewka stoi za domem obok grabi.

the house

Breakdown of Konewka stoi za domem obok grabi.

• obok: next to
• za: behind
• stać: to stand

Questions & Answers about Konewka stoi za domem obok grabi.

Why is it domem and not dom?

Because after za in a location meaning, Polish uses the instrumental case.

Here, za domem means behind the house as a fixed location, so dom changes to domem.

A very useful contrast is:

• za domem = behind the house / located behind the house
• za dom = to behind the house / movement to that place

With an inanimate masculine noun like dom, the accusative form looks the same as the basic dictionary form, so:

• Konewka stoi za domem. = The watering can is behind the house.
• Idę za dom. = I’m going behind the house.

So the form domem tells you this is about position, not movement.

Why is it grabi? I expected grabie.

Because obok requires the genitive case, and grabi is the genitive form of grabie.

The noun grabie is a special kind of noun called plural-only (pluralia tantum). Even when it refers to one rake as an object, grammatically it behaves like a plural noun.

So:

• basic form: grabie
• after obok: grabi

Compare:

• Widzę grabie. = I see the rake / rake(s).
• Konewka stoi obok grabi. = The watering can is next to the rake / rake(s).

So grabi is not random—it is there because obok needs the genitive.

Does mean one rake or more than one rake?