Questions & Answers about Trzymam klucze w ręce.
Does ręce mean I am holding the keys in one hand or both hands?
Just one hand! Although ręce is the basic plural word for hands, in this sentence it is the singular locative form of ręka (hand/arm). Because it describes a location after the preposition w (in), ręka changes to ręce. If you were holding them in both hands, you would say w rękach.
Why does the k in ręka change to a c in w ręce?
This is a very common spelling change (mutation) in the locative case. For feminine nouns ending in -ka, the ending changes to -ce when talking about a location. You already know this exact same rule from the word Polska changing to w Polsce (in Poland).
I learned that the word for hand is dłoń. Can I use that here instead?
Yes, you could completely correctly say w dłoni. The word ręka technically means the entire arm from shoulder to fingertips, but Polish speakers use it every day to just mean the hand. If you want to be very specific about the hand or palm, dłoń is a great choice.
Which grammatical case is klucze in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because the keys are the direct object you are holding. However, for non-living masculine words like klucz (key), the accusative plural looks exactly the same as the basic dictionary plural form, which is klucze.
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