Na podwórku obok krzaka leży piłka.

In the courtyard, next to the bush, there is a ball.

Breakdown of Na podwórku obok krzaka leży piłka.

• na: in
• obok: next to
• leżeć: to lie
• piłka: the ball

Questions & Answers about Na podwórku obok krzaka leży piłka.

Why is it na podwórku and not w podwórku?

In Polish, na is often used for open areas or surfaces, and podwórko (yard / courtyard) is normally treated that way. So na podwórku means in the yard / in the courtyard in the natural Polish way.

Using w here would sound unusual to most speakers.

So:

• na podwórku = in the yard / in the courtyard
• w domu = in the house
• na ulicy = on the street / in the street
• na boisku = on the field

Polish prepositions do not always match English ones directly, so this is something that usually has to be learned as a fixed pattern.

What case is podwórku, and why does podwórko change to podwórku?

After na when it means location, Polish uses the locative case.

The basic form is:

• podwórko = yard / courtyard

But after na in a location phrase, it becomes:

• na podwórku = in the yard

So the pattern is:

• nominative: podwórko
• locative: podwórku

This is very common in Polish:

• stół → na stole
• park → w parku
• podwórko → na podwórku

Why is it obok krzaka and not obok krzak?