W domu nie ma nikogo.

to have

Breakdown of W domu nie ma nikogo.

• nie: not
• w: at
• dom: home

Questions & Answers about W domu nie ma nikogo.

What does w domu mean?

W domu means at home or in the house/home.

• w = in / at
• domu = a form of dom (house / home)

In this sentence, English usually translates it naturally as at home:
W domu nie ma nikogo. = There is nobody at home.

Why is it domu and not dom?

Because after w when talking about a location, Polish uses the locative case.

So:

• dom = base form, house/home
• w domu = in/at home

This is a very common pattern:

• w sklepie = in the shop
• w pracy = at work
• w domu = at home

What does nie ma mean here?

Here nie ma means there isn’t / there are not.

In Polish, when talking about whether something or someone is present somewhere, the negative form is very often nie ma:

• Jest ktoś w domu. = Someone is at home.
• Nie ma nikogo w domu. = There is nobody at home.

So in this sentence, nie ma expresses absence.

Why is it and not ?