Breakdown of Mój ojciec jest inżynierem i pracuje niedaleko dworca.
być
to be
i
and
pracować
to work
mój
my
ojciec
father
inżynier
engineer
dworzec
train station (m)
niedaleko
near / not far from
Questions & Answers about Mój ojciec jest inżynierem i pracuje niedaleko dworca.
Why is the word for station in the Genitive case (dworca)?
Because the preposition niedaleko (near / not far from) requires the noun that follows it to be in the Genitive case. This is a common rule for several prepositions of location in Polish.
What happened to the 'e' from the dictionary form dworzec?
This is an example of the 'fleeting e' in Polish. When a word ends in a consonant plus 'e' plus a consonant, that e often drops out when you add a case ending. So, adding the Genitive -a turns dworzec into dworca.
Why do we say jest inżynierem instead of jest inżynier?
When you use the verb być (to be) to state someone's profession, role, or relationship, the noun must take the Instrumental case. For masculine nouns like inżynier, we add the ending -em.
Could I use blisko (close to) instead of niedaleko in this sentence?
Yes! Blisko and niedaleko are very similar in meaning, and both require the Genitive case. You could easily say pracuje blisko dworca and the grammar works exactly the same way.
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