Word
Moja rodzina mieszka na południu.
Meaning
My family lives in the south.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Moja rodzina mieszka na południu.
mieszkać
to live
mój
my
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
rodzina
the family
Questions & Answers about Moja rodzina mieszka na południu.
Why do we use na here instead of w for 'in'?
In Polish, you always use the preposition na with compass directions like north, south, east, and west to mean 'in'. So 'in the south' is always na południu, not w południu.
Why does the word for south change from południe to południu?
It changes because it is in the Locative case, which is required by the preposition na when talking about a fixed location (where something is). The dictionary form is południe, which is a neuter noun ending in -e. In the Locative case, these neuter nouns take the ending -u.
Could I use the plural verb mieszkają since a family is made up of multiple people?
No, Polish grammar is strict about this. The word rodzina is a singular feminine noun, so it must always take a singular verb like mieszka (she lives). Unlike in English, you cannot treat it as a plural group taking a plural verb.
I've seen the word południe used to mean 'noon'. Is this the exact same word?
Yes, it is! Południe literally means 'half of the day' (noon). Because the sun is in the southern sky at noon in Poland, the word also came to mean 'south'. The preposition tells you which meaning is intended: w południe means 'at noon', while na południu means 'in the south'.