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Questions & Answers about Kto tam siedzi?
Does the question word kto always take the third-person singular verb, like in English?
Yes! Just like we say "Who is" (not "Who are") in English, Polish treats kto (who) as a third-person singular subject. That is why we use siedzi (he/she/it sits) instead of another form.
Why is the word order Kto tam siedzi and not Kto siedzi tam?
Polish word order is flexible, so Kto siedzi tam? is also perfectly correct. However, putting short adverbs like tam (there) before the verb is very common and sounds highly natural in short Polish questions.
Does siedzi mean "sits" or "is sitting"?
It means both! Polish does not have a separate continuous tense like the English "-ing" form. Depending on the context, siedzi can mean "sits" as a general habit or "is sitting" right at this moment.
What if I wanted to ask "Who is sitting here"?
You would swap out tam (there) for tu or tutaj (here). The question would then be Kto tu siedzi?.