Questions & Answers about W tej restauracji nie ma miejsc.
Why is the word for "seats" written as miejsc instead of miejsca?
The phrase nie ma (there is no / there are no) always forces the noun into the Genitive case. Since we are talking about multiple seats, we need the Genitive plural. The dictionary form is the neuter noun miejsce. To make the Genitive plural for most neuter nouns, you simply drop the final vowel (-e or -o). This leaves us with a "zero ending" word: miejsc.
Doesn't nie ma usually mean "he/she/it doesn't have"?
It can! However, nie ma is also the standard impersonal way to say "there is no" or "there are no" in Polish. You can tell from the context that we aren't talking about a specific person not having seats, but rather that no seats are available. In both meanings, nie ma requires the Genitive case.
Does miejsc strictly mean "seats"?
The base word miejsce literally translates to "place". Depending on the context, it can mean a physical place, a seat (like in a restaurant, train, or theater), or even "room" or "space". So nie ma miejsc can easily be thought of as "there are no places" or "there is no room".
Why is the word for restaurant spelled restauracji here?