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Questions & Answers about Pokój jest na górze.
Why does na górze mean upstairs? Doesn't góra mean mountain?
You are right! The word góra usually means mountain, but it also means the top of something. So the phrase na górze literally means on top, which is the standard Polish way to say upstairs.
Why did the word góra change to górze?
When describing where something is located using the word na (on or at), Polish requires a grammatical form called the Locative case. For most feminine nouns ending in -a like góra, the ending changes to -e. Additionally, the letter r changes to rz to make the pronunciation flow more easily, resulting in górze.
If na górze means upstairs, how do I say downstairs?
To say downstairs, you use the phrase na dole, which literally means at the bottom. The base word for bottom is dół.
I have seen the word pokój used to mean peace. Is it the exact same word here?
Yes! The word pokój can mean either room or peace depending entirely on the context. In a sentence talking about a location in a house, it is clear that we are talking about a room.