Małe dziecko trzyma się mamy w metrze.

Because dziecko is a neuter singular noun, and the adjective has to agree with it.

• mały = masculine
• mała = feminine
• małe = neuter

So:

• mały chłopiec = a small boy
• mała dziewczynka = a small girl
• małe dziecko = a small child

Polish adjectives change their endings to match the noun’s gender, number, and case.

It is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence — the one doing the action.

So in:

Małe dziecko trzyma się mamy w metrze.

the subject is małe dziecko = the small child.

Here trzyma się means something like:

• holds on to
• clings to
• sticks close to

The basic verb trzymać means to hold / to keep.
But trzymać się is a different expression, often meaning:

• to hold onto something/someone
• to cling
• to keep to

In this sentence, the child is physically holding onto the mother.

Because trzymać się is the natural Polish expression here. The się is not usually translated word-for-word into English, but it is part of the verb phrase.

Compare:

• trzymać coś = to hold something
  
  • Trzyma torbę. = He/she is holding a bag.
• trzymać się kogoś/czegoś = to hold onto someone/something
  
  • Dziecko trzyma się mamy. = The child is holding onto its mother.

So się helps create the meaning hold onto / cling to, not just hold.

This is one of the most common questions, and it is very important.

After trzymać się, Polish usually requires the genitive case, not the accusative.

So:

• mama = nominative
• mamę = accusative
• mamy = genitive

Because the pattern is:

trzymać się + genitive

Examples:

• trzymać się mamy = hold onto mom
• trzymać się poręczy = hold onto the handrail
• trzymać się ściany = hold onto the wall

So mamy is correct because trzymać się governs the genitive.

Yes, mamy can also mean we have, from the verb mieć.

For example:

• Mamy czas. = We have time.

But in this sentence, that interpretation does not fit the grammar:

Małe dziecko trzyma się mamy w metrze.

Here mamy follows trzyma się, and that verb needs a noun in the genitive. So mamy here clearly means of mother / mom, that is, mom in the genitive form.

Because after w meaning in, Polish usually uses the locative case.

• metro = metro / subway
• w metrze = in the metro

So the pattern is:

w + locative

More examples:

• w domu = at home / in the house
• w szkole = at school
• w samochodzie = in the car
• w metrze = in the metro

It is the locative singular.

The noun is metro, which is neuter. In the locative singular, it becomes:

• metro → w metrze

This is just one of the forms you need to learn with the noun.

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral sentence is:

Małe dziecko trzyma się mamy w metrze.

But you could also hear:

• W metrze małe dziecko trzyma się mamy.
• Małe dziecko w metrze trzyma się mamy.

These versions change the focus or emphasis slightly, but the basic meaning stays the same.

Because Polish uses case endings, word order is often freer than in English.

Not exactly in the English sense of mother’s. It is the genitive form of mama, but here it is used because the verb trzymać się requires the genitive.

So it is better to think:

• not the child holds mother’s
• but the child holds onto mom

The genitive here is grammatical, not necessarily possessive in meaning.

Mama is completely normal and very common. It means mom / mum.

It can sound warm, family-oriented, and natural. In more formal contexts, Polish may use:

• matka = mother

But in everyday speech, especially when talking about a child, mama is the most natural word.

So trzyma się mamy sounds very natural.

Polish has no articles, so dziecko can mean:

• a child
• the child

The exact meaning depends on context.

So:

Małe dziecko trzyma się mamy w metrze.

could mean either:

• A small child is holding onto its mother in the metro
• The small child is holding onto its mother in the metro

English has to choose a or the, but Polish does not.

Because Polish often leaves that kind of possession implicit when it is obvious from context.

In English, we often say:

• The child is holding onto its mother

In Polish, it is natural simply to say:

• Dziecko trzyma się mamy

It is understood that we mean the child’s mother, unless the context suggests otherwise.

If necessary, Polish can be more explicit, but usually it does not need to be.

Grammatically, it is present tense:

• trzyma = holds / is holding

Depending on context, it can mean:

• is holding onto right now
• sometimes more generally holds onto

In a sentence like this, the most natural English translation is usually the continuous form:

• A small child is holding onto its mother in the metro.

That is because the sentence describes a scene in progress.

In the present tense, Polish verb forms do not show gender. They only show person and number.

So:

• trzymam = I hold
• trzymasz = you hold
• trzyma = he/she/it holds

Since dziecko is singular and third person, the correct verb form is trzyma.

Gender becomes more visible in the past tense, not in the present tense.

For example:

• Dziecko trzymało się mamy. = The child was holding onto its mother.

Here trzymało shows neuter gender.

Yes, się is fairly mobile in Polish, though some positions sound more natural than others.

You will most commonly see:

• Dziecko trzyma się mamy.

But in some contexts, Polish can also place się a little differently. Even so, learners should usually stick with the most standard pattern:

verb + się

So for now, trzyma się is the best form to learn and use.