Learn Polish: On czeka na samym rogu ulicy. - He is waiting on the very corner of the street.

On czeka na samym rogu ulicy.

He is waiting on the very corner of the street.

Breakdown of On czeka na samym rogu ulicy.

he / it (m)

on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)

Questions & Answers about On czeka na samym rogu ulicy.

Doesn't sam usually mean 'alone'? How do we know it means 'the very' here?

You're right that sam often means 'alone' or 'by oneself' (like on czeka sam - he is waiting alone). However, when placed directly before a noun indicating space or time, it acts as an intensifier meaning 'exactly' or 'the very'. Here, na samym rogu emphasizes the precise spot.

Why does the modifier take the form samym instead of just sam?

As an identity modifier, sam declines exactly like an adjective and must agree with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. Since the preposition na (when indicating location) requires the locative case, both the modifier and the noun must be in the locative: samym rogu.

What happens to the spelling of róg (corner) to make it rogu?

Two things happen here. First, the root vowel ó shifts back to a regular o when an ending is added, which is a very common vowel shift in Polish. Second, róg is one of those short, inanimate masculine nouns that takes the -u ending in the locative case instead of the standard -e.

Why is ulica in the genitive case (ulicy)?