Breakdown of Na dachu jest kot.
być
to be
kot
cat
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
dach
roof
Questions & Answers about Na dachu jest kot.
Why does the word for roof change to dachu in this sentence?
The dictionary form of the word is dach. Because it follows the preposition na (on) to describe a location, it must be in the Locative case. Many masculine inanimate nouns like dach take the -u ending in this case.
Why is the word order Na dachu jest kot instead of Kot jest na dachu?
Polish uses word order to show what the main point of the sentence is. Putting the location first (Na dachu) and the noun last (kot) is the standard way to say "There is a cat on the roof." If you reversed it to Kot jest na dachu, it would change the meaning to "The cat is on the roof," focusing on a specific cat you already know about.
How does Polish express the phrase "there is" in this sentence?
Polish does not use a direct translation of the word "there" for this grammar structure. Instead, the verb jest (is) does all the work. When placed before the subject and combined with a location, it simply means "there is."
Learn Na dachu jest kot and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free