Na podwórku dzieci zostawiły rower obok ławki.

the child

Breakdown of Na podwórku dzieci zostawiły rower obok ławki.

• na: in
• rower: the bicycle
• obok: next to

Questions & Answers about Na podwórku dzieci zostawiły rower obok ławki.

Why is it na podwórku and not just podwórko?

Because na podwórku is a prepositional phrase meaning in the yard / in the courtyard. In Polish, when you say where something happens, you usually need a preposition plus the right case ending.

Here, na means location, and podwórko changes to podwórku because it is in the locative case.

Why does podwórko change to podwórku?

The basic form is podwórko. After na when it means location, Polish uses the locative case.

So:

• podwórko = yard, courtyard
• na podwórku = in the yard

This is a very common pattern:

• na stole = on the table
• w domu = in the house
• na podwórku = in the yard

Why does Polish use na here if English says in the yard?

Because Polish and English do not always match prepositions directly. Even though na often means on, with some places Polish uses na where English uses in.

So na podwórku is the normal Polish way to say in the yard / in the courtyard. It is something you largely have to learn as a set expression.

Is dzieci singular or plural?