Polish Declension in Use

a booklet by barsorro
Preface
(... you've guessed right you can skip that part :))
The following is my attempt to familiarize foreign learners of Polish with the su!ect of declension and case
government.
" am a complete amateur in languages and language teaching. The idea to produce a guide like this has come
out of internet friendships and meeting people attracted to Polish language and interested in learning it.
#eing myself fond of languages " have understood my friends' impractical fancy $) and wanted to do all " can
to keep up their interest and help their study. %nfortunately& maye !ust on account of an inade'uate search&
" was unale to find much free self(study material for them on the "nternet . (...at the time.)
)s a result& "'ve een rought to try and e*plain the intricacies of Polish grammar y myself. " realize that this
is a old endeavour& oth generally (as Polish is proaly one of the more difficult languages to learn& 'uite
different from the non(+lavic languages of the ,est that "'m ale to compare it with& and featuring some
grammatical concepts that may prove a sustantial challenge to everyday users of -nglish& +panish& or
Portuguese)& and especially for a person like me& who lacks any advanced formal education in the field
of languages. .ot only did " have to learn up on some of the essential grammar theory and terminology as "
went along& " also struggled with methodology and composition. " have simply never done anything like this
efore& nor learned how to do it.
"n conse'uence& the script you have in front of you can proaly serve as a good e*ample of how this kind of
things should not e written :). "ts use of terminology is intuitive in places& and more than once !ust plain
inventive. ,hat is proaly worse& the te*t features a multitude of digressions and side(notes& loosely related
to the main threads of thought they appear in. This has een proaly my iggest fault at the work: " !ust
couldn't help myself e*plain almost everything at once :)
/f course& "'m offering you this self(criti'ue (... rememer: " come from a post(communist country :)) as a
sort of caveat. " wouldn't have finished writing the script& and& 'uite surely& " wouldn't have sumitted it here&
if " had thought that it was useless. .o& " elieve that& actually& it is not too ad :) " think " have reached my
goal of presenting a concise& ut possily comprehensive& overview of the system of declension cases in Polish
language: of showing oth in a sketchy theoretical description and on e*amples when and what for each
case is used. 0y goal was to inform aout and to ac'uaint with the usage& so " think " can e pardoned for
some theoretical imprecisions in fact& as it is& " elieve " might have used an e*cessive amount of
terminology.
" chose declension& ecause " suppose that must e the most alien and intimidating area of Polish grammar
for most foreign learners. "n the numerous side(notes "'ve also smuggled in elements from other areas$ most
of them deserve a separate and much more detailed treatment& ut " felt it was impossile to leave
une*plained some of the grammatical structures that surface in the e*amples.
)n important note: this is a guide on function and usage. " haven't dealt in any way with the patterns of
morphological changes in inflected words. " will speak straight with you: the patterns are rather numerous
and not all that simple. "n my opinion& trying to learn them synthetically would e e*tremely difficult and
tedious. There are& of course& reakdowns of the morphological paradigms& and you are welcome to check
them out for e*ample& here:
http://free.of.pl/g/grzegorj/gram/en/deklin00.html
ut " suggest that you don't spend too much time on them. 1ou can use those tales to get a general overview&
and later& if necessary& to try and construct or confirm your speculations on inflected forms of some
nouns you need (when you do that& watch out for the changes that have to e made to many of the ending
stem(consonants2). 1et& as far as learning is concerned& " think it is etter to set on ac'uiring the patterns
more intuitively: y reading te*ts seeing words& realizing what a word's function in a sentence is and what
declension case it must e in and thus& slowly and naturally& tuning your mind in to them. "f you would still
rather get some 3clinical3 e*posure first& " suppose this set of tales should e a it etter for that than those
from the previous link:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Polish/Masculine_noun_declension
(feminine and neuter noun charts are hyper(linked at the ottom of the page)
" really wish " could offer you a we address of a 3declinator3 an applet that would present you with the full
declensions of any given sustantive. %nfortunately& " haven't een ale to find anything like that& so it looks
like there's no real way around using the declension tales once in a while.
4/,-5-6& for a piece of good news& as " am writing this " have looked in to Wikisownik& which is the
Polish part of the Wiktionary& and " can see that many (perhaps even: most) of the popular nouns are given
there together with their full declensions2
,ikis7ownik:
http://pl.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wikis!"#$ownik:%trona_g!"#$!&'&wna
The declensions are presented on the page of an entry word& under the title: 3odmiana3. The 3lp" marker
stands for 3liczba pojedyncza3 8 singular$ 3lm3 ( 3liczba mnoga3 8 plural. 9eclensions are listed after each
marker in the regular order:
1. nominative, 2. genitive, 3. dative, 4. accusative,
5. instrumental, 6. locative, 7. vocative
ut most of the forms are presented as only the suffi* that has to e added to the word(stem$
the nominative is given as a whole word& and the stem is the part of it that comes left of the vertical
dividing line 3:3 (if there is no such dividing line& then it means that the nominative form has no suffi* and
that the whole of the word in nominative is the stem)$
in situations of a stem(change in an inflection form& the whole inflected word is shown.
" think that the ,ikis7ownik can to some degree stand as a surrogate 3declinator3.
Things are easier the opposite direction. 1ou can enter any word found in a Polish te*t into the 3znajd
sowa3 (find words) searcho* of this dictionary:
http://so.pwn.pl/ (P,. dictionary of Polish orthography)
and you will get the ase form (the nominative) of the word (plus select irregular inflection forms if that word
has such ut those are not presented in a particularly clear way& "'m sorry)
Then& once you have that ase form& you can use these online dictionaries to look up its meaning in -nglish:
http://www.angool.com/
http://www.dict.pl/dict_iso
http://slowniki.pwn.pl/angielski/pl/polski
(these are the ones " use and like$ there are others around& too... and let's not forget aout the ,ikis7ownik
which works very well as an interlingual dictionary)
)t the end of this foreword& "'d like to recommend to you three "nternet addresses with valuale resources to
help you e*tend your knowledge of Polish& and of Polish grammar in particular:
( "A Grammar of the Polish Language" a rilliant pulic domain compendium of Polish grammar y
;rzegorz <agodzi=ski:
http://free.of.pl/g/grzegorj/gram/en/gram00.html
( /scar -. +wan's "Polish Grammar in a Nutshell"
http://polish.sla*ic.pitt.edu/firstyear/nutshell.pdf
(had I found that one earlier, maybe I wouldn't hae written this booklet !""
( a very impressive (at the first look at least) Polish section on the Transparent Language site
(featuring a really& really nice log in -nglish aout Poland's current events& curiosities and trivia& as well as
some language games and interactive tests):
http://www.transparent.com/languagepages/polish/polish.htm
" suppose that the only thing left for me to do now is to wish you pleasant and fruitful studies :) " really hope
you don't get discouraged easily Polish may not e an easy language to learn& ut there are areas of its
grammar in which it is actually much simpler than& for e*ample& -nglish (tenses& the co(ordination of tenses&
the conditional mood)$ in addition to that: Polish vocaulary tends to e markedly more specific than that of
-nglish& so the conte*t is much less of an issue in the interpretation of things said.
)s far as declension and inflection patterns are concerned& it might all look terrifying when approached from
the angle of classifications and charts. "n practice& however& as soon as you get to know >??(@?? sustantives
with a few (a random > or @& not necessarily all) inflection forms for each of them& your mind will e ready to
supply the missing forms y making them up& ased on the memory and on intuitive perception of the
morphological changes occuring in similar words in the desired declension case form. +ome of the forms
deduced this way will& oviously& e wrong& ut you can always try cross(checking them with a declension
chart and with the dictionary of orthography... )nd esides you don't e*pect to learn without making
mistakes& do youA :) "'ve got a Polish prover for you that fits the occasion:
"Jak si nie przewrcisz, to si nie nauczysz."
("If you don't stumble and fall een once, then you will not learn for good#"" :)
" keep my fingers crossed for you2 1ou have no reasons to worry after all there are aout B? million
speakers of Polish& and "'d venture to say that at least half of them can e called fairly articulate and fluent $)
1ou wouldn't think those >? million are are all e*ceptionally gifted for languages& would youA :)
) zatem... Powodzenia2
(,ell then... " wish you success2)
Zaczynamy!
(Cet's go2 Dliterally: 3,e start E commence23F )
The declension chart numer G. 4ere is an e*ample of all declension forms of three nouns (selected 'uite
randomly) of three different genders (the masculine& the feminine& and the neuter). "'ll try to use those nouns
in many of the e*ample sentences "'m going to make in the course of this ooklet& ut it's not always possile
to use !ust those three so& this chart is meant as a general overview of the numer of declension cases and
the way they modify the nouns. Pay attention to the ordinal numers for the cases they are traditionally
always listed in that very order "'m going to use those numers to refer to specific declension cases.
ord.num. Polish name int. name e+.noun.masc. e+.n.fem. e+.neut.
, mianownik nominati*e kot truskawka dziecko
$ dopeniacz geniti*e kota truskawki* dziecka
& celownik dati*e kotu truskawce dziecku
- biernik accusati*e kota truskawk dziecko
" narzdnik instrumental kotem truskawk dzieckiem
. miejscownik locati*e kocie truskawce dziecku
/ woacz *ocati*e kocie0 truskawko0 dziecko0
*) in case of all nouns ending in 3(ka3 the form of genitive (singular) is identical to the plural nominative
the word 3truskawki3 also stands for plural: 3strawberries3.
Hrom now on "'ll e either using the name of a case or and "'ll e doing that most of the time an acronym
with the case's numer& e*ample:
Przynie (r4) tu kota (d4, kot). Bring the cat here.
d4 = declension (case number) 4 = the accusative (biernik)
r4 8 case government for case 4 "'m going to use the letter 3r3 here& ecause 3case government3 is called
3rekc!a3 in Polish (we've orrowed the term from ;erman)& and " think that the letter 3r3 will stand out etter
and e more noticeale in the te*t. Possily& "'m also going to use 3rekc!a3 in the e*plaining te*t& ecause it
seems a handy& single(word term. 0ore aout the idea of case government:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/!ase_go*ernment
)nd now let's get down to usiness and see what those cases are all aout2 :)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>>> d1. the nominative (mianownik)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This case is used for the words (mainly a noun& ut it can also e a personal pronoun& or even a
proper/personal name Dbecause they also undergo declension in $olishF) that is the su!ect of a sentence.
-*amples:
Kot (d1) pije mleko (d4). A/The cat drinks milk.
Truskawka (d1) ronie na krzaku (d6). A/The strawberry grows on a shrub.
Dziecko (d1) grzecznie (adv.) si bawi (v).
A/The child is playing in a nice and orderly manner.
1the *erb in that e+ample is 2bawi si2 1it3s a refle+i*e *erb in Polish45
e+planations of the reason for a *erb3s position at the end of the sentences and
of an in*ersion like the one to 2... si bawi2 will appear later on in the
booklet5 let me just say that 2Dziecko bawi si grzecznie.2 would ha*e been
correct as well4
!a (d1) jem nia"anie (d4). Im eating break!ast.
#na (d1) myje naczynia (d4). "he is washing/washes dishes.
$y (d1) c%o"zicie na "&ugie spacery (d4). #ou (plural) go !or long walks.

'nia (d1) mieszka teraz w 'nglii (d6). Ania lives in $ngland now.
$ojtek (d1) uczy& si (r2) angielskiego (d2) ze (r5) mn( (d5).
%o&tek learned/used to learn $nglish with me.
12angielskiego2 is the geniti*e form of the noun/adjecti*e 2angielski25 2mn2 is
the instrumental case form of the personal pronoun 2ja25
don3t get terrified with the symbols 6 73m putting so many of them here to
show you that the use of the geniti*e form 1d$4 of 2angielski2 is enforced by
the case go*ernment 12rekcja24 1r$4 of the *erb 2uczy si2 1to learn: in Polish
it3s a refle+i*e *erb 6 something like "to teach oneself"48 and that the
instrumental form 1d"4 of 2ja2 is enforced by the rekcja 1r"4 of the preposition
2z/ze2 1with4... yes... prepositions8 too8 ha*e their own case go*ernments in
Polish: they re9uire a specific declension form in the words that follow
them...5 7 will not use so many symbols at once in other e+amples: just remember
the rule 6 a symbol refers to the word/words that come immediately before it4
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>>> d2. the genitive (dopeniacz)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The functions of the genitive:
a) to indicate possession it doesn't have to e something material& it can e some 'uality or either a
physical or a non(physical state. "t is the sustantive that stands for the possessor which comes in the
genitive. The genitive is also used to indicate a elonging to specific sucategory: where the noun in genitive
is the one that defines the category and allows for a precise distinction of what we're talking aout (look at
the e*ample with 3krzak truskawki3 elow).
)utro kota (d2) jest mikkie. The !ur o! a/the cat is so!t.
Krzak truskawki (d2) jest niski. A shrub o! strawberry is low.
1note that in :nglish it is more correct to say: "% strawberry shrub is low#"4
*abawka "ziecka (d2) jest bezpieczna. The toy o! the child is sa!e.
Kolczyki tej s&awnej aktorki (d2) by&y z platyny (d2).
The earrings o! that !amous actress were 'made' o! platinium.
1the nominati*es ; 21ta4 1s<awna4 aktorka2 1fem.48 2platyna2 1fem.45
the e+planation for why it3s 2z platyny2 and why 2platyna2 comes in the
geniti*e here you will find in point 2e42 of this section on the geniti*e4
#"powie"+ tego pana (d2) by&a prawi"&owa.
The answer o! this gentleman was correct.
1in a better :nglish: "&his gentleman's answer was correct#"5
the nominati*e ; 21ten4 pan2 1masc.44
!ako, tyc% z"j, (d2) jest marna. The (uality o! these photos is poor.
1the nominati*e ; 21te4 zdj=cia2 1plural4
( singular nominati*e ; 21to4 zdj=cie2 1neut.44
Pla-e .razylii (d2) s( pikne. The beaches o! Bra)il are beauti!ul.
1the nominati*e ; 2'razylia2 1fem.44
/k0ra 'ni (d2) jest "o, ciemna. The skin o! Ania *Anias skin+ is (uite dark.
1the nominati*e ; 2>nia2 1personal 1first4 name44
$&osy 1anueli (d2) s( "&ugie2 ru"e i lni(ce.
,anuelas hair is long- red and shiny.
1the nominati*e ; 2Manuela2 1personal 1first4 name44
in Polish we don3t use a collect*e noun for 2hair25 instead8 we employ the
plural of 2wos" (a hair45 that3s why the grammar number mismatch between the
original sentence and the translation:
2Wosy ... s... an! "ere comes a list o# a!jecti$es in t"eir plural #orm%2
6 2(The) hair... is...25
one more thing: the adjecti*e 2ru!y" (here inflected into plural adjecti*e
"ru!e" to fit the plural 2w<osy24 is used specifically and solely with reference
to the red colour of the hair8 or to a red?head person :44
)s you can see& oth regular nouns and proper (personal) names are inflected into the genitive form and used
in the function descried y this point (3a)3). 4owever& notice that this is not so with personal pronouns
when a 3possessor3 is to e denoted y a personal pronoun (3!a3& 3ty3& 3on3& etc.)& we have to use an
appropriate possessive pronoun :
3m0j4moja4moje..moje4moi (*)3 my2 3tw0j4twoja4twoje..twoje4twoi (*)3 your2
3jego3 his2 3jej3 her2 3jego3 its (for "ono" 3.person.neuter)2
3nasz4nasza4nasze..nasze4nasi (*)3 our2
"wasz4wasza4wasze..wasze4wasi (*)" your.pl.,
3ic%3 5 their
(*) 6 these two last forms refer to two plural genders: nonpersonal
!asculine and personal!asculine
6 we are not "oin" into the #etails of that now, $ut if you%re intereste# in the
&uestion of "en#ers, look there'
http://free.of.pl/g/grzegorj/gram/en/gram0&.html@rodzaj 6 5
the three forms that come before the two marked with the asteri+ 1A4 apply to
the 2possessed2 things being of the masculine8 the feminine8 and the neuter
gender8 respecti*ely 1so8 we ha*e8 e.g.8 2mBj kot 1m428 2moja truskawka 1f428
2moje dziecko 1n4245
when the 2possessor2 is in the third person8 there is just one possessi*e
pronoun ser*ing for e*ery gender of the things posessed 1e.g.8 2jej kot28 2jej
truskawka28 2jej dziecko245
possessi*e pronouns follow declension 6 what is presented abo*e are possessi*e
pronouns in their nominati*e forms5 we3ll get to the inflection patterns for
possessi*e pronouns some other time...
for comparison8 here are the geniti*e case forms for personal pronouns:
3mnie3 ("en. of "ja")8 3ci 4 ciebie3 (... of "ty")2
3jego3 ("on")2 3jej3 ("ona")2 3jego3 ("ono")2
3nas3 ("!y"), 3was3 ("wy")2 3ic%3 ("oni")
( as you can see some of the forms are identical ).

)nd note: while the 3possessor3 noun in genitive nearly always comes second in the word order& to the
3thing that is possessed3& a possessive pronoun nearly always comes efore the thing possessed.
Cook:
1oje (possessi$e pronoun& w&osy s( kr0tkie. ,y hair is short.
(not! 6 3$&osy mnie (pers.pron. in !'& s( kr0tkie.3 WCDEF0
3$&osy moje (poss.pron.& s( kr0tkie.3 not plain wrong8
but most unnatural in normal usage)
Tw0j (poss.pron.& pies jest milutki. #our dog is cute.
(not! 6 3Pies ciebie (pers.pron. in !'& jest milutki.3 WCDEF7
3Pies Tw0j (poss.pron.& jest milutki.3 not plain wrong8
but most unnatural in normal usage)
!ego (poss.pron.& motocykl jest bar"zo g&ony. /is motorbike is very loud.
1here8 there would ha*e been less difference8 because8 as we ha*e noticed
earlier8 the geniti*e form of the personal pronoun 2on2 (he" is identical to the
possessi*e pronoun for that person5 howe*er8 if the 2je"o2 were to be placed
after the subject 2!otocykl", then the resulting sentence 6 2(otocykl jego jest
go)ny.2 6 would ha*e looked *ery unnatural and stilted: this 2je"o2 would ha*e
been percei*ed as being the possessi*e pronoun 6 for8 as we know8 a personal
pronoun geniti*e in the possessi*e role is a grammatical error 6 and the
positioning of a possessi*e pronoun after a subject is only allowable in solemn
utterances and in *erse4
b) as the direct object in negative sentences. This is very characteristic of Polish grammar: in all the
instances where a positive sentence has a direct o!ect in the accusative (and this is so proaly in more than
I?J of all direct o!ects)& the corresponding negative sentence must have this direct o!ect set in the
genitive.
(side(note: 'uite a numer of careless andEor under(educated native Polish speakers have some difficulty
with that rule& ut it sounds really ad if someone& who otherwise speaks fluent Polish& makes the mistake of
leaving direct o!ects in the accusative in negative sentences).
8
.ote: a very typical e*ample of this usage is the Polish way of saying
3t%ere is not 9something: ;%ere2 t%ere<
4 t%ere are not 9some things: ;%ere2 t%ere<
4 9something- some things: isn=t (aren=t) ;%ere2 t%ere<3
3Nie ma {tu, tam} <noun in genitive>3 6
the cause for the use of the genitive lies in the literal reading of a sentence of this type:
39inde!inite sub&ect [1]- 0.person.singular: nie ma 9ob&ect [2]:3
39inde!inite sub&ect [1]2 0.person.singular: doesnt !ave 9ob&ect [2]:3
>?@ A in this case: an unidentified 3somebody3 representing us all
>B@ A in this case: the thing that is 3missing38
... and an additional important fact is that the 2rekcja2 for the *erb
2mieG2 1to ha(e4 wants an object in the accusati*e
as you can see& the thing that is 3missing3 the 3thing3 from the sentence 3there isn't 'a 'thing'(3 is the
direct object (of the ver 3mieK3)& and so in the negative sentence (3### nie ma ### 3) the 3thing3 must e put
in the genitive.
Tu nie ma mojego kota (d2). ,y cat isnt here.
>9uite literally6 /ere (it) doesnt have my cat.@
1the corresponding positi*e sentence would be 6 and watch out for a totally
different grammatical construction8 including the fact that in this one 2kot2 is
the subject (!!):
310j kot (d1) jest tu.3 ,y cat is here.)
C
/ther e*amples of negative sentences:
Die g&aszcz mojego kota (d2) zbyt czsto. I dont stroke my cat too o!ten.
1notice8 howe*er8 that the noun 2kot2 has identical forms for the geniti*e (d2)
and the accusati*e (d4)8 so that a positi*e sentence8 which takes the object in
accusati*e8 looks practically the same:
E&aszcz mojego kota (d4) bar"zo czsto. I stroke my cat very o!ten.)
Die jem truskawki (d2). Im not eating a strawberry.
1Hhe positi*e would be: 2Iem truskawk= (d4).24
Die gryz truskawki (d2). Im not chewing a strawberry.
1P: 2Fryz= truskawk= (d4).24
Die mam "ziecka (d2). I dont have a child.
1P: 2Mam dziecko (d4).2 : notice that the accusati*e in the neuter nouns 1i.e.
those ending in 2?o2 is always the same as the nominati*e 1d,8 the 2basic2
form44
Die lubi jej "ziecka (d2). I dont like her child.
1P: 2Jubi= jej dziecko (d4).24
#y negatives we don't only mean negative statements ut also negative interrogatives (8 'uestion sentences)
and negative imperatives (8 orders or re'uests):
Die g&aszcz ic% "ziecka (d2)7 1ont stroke their child2
1a positi*e imperati*e sentence would be: 2F<aszcz ich dziecko (d4)02...
although a more natural one would actually be 2Pog<aszcz ich dziecko (d2)02: why
is that so is a subject for another lecture... 5 as for now8 we3re trying to
concentrate on the fact that where positi*e sentences of any kind 6 including
imperati*es8 like here 6 ha*e objects in the accusati*e8 the corresponding
negati*e sentences ha*e them in the geniti*e4
Die ja"&e jeszcze nig"y w -yciu truskawki (d2)F
/ave you never eaten a strawberry in your li!e3
1note that in Polish we use a double negati*e in such sentences:
2)ie ja#*e+ ... ni"#y ...2 6 2nigdy2 means 2ne*er2 6 while in :nglish you
either say 2Ka*en3t you e*er ...2 or 2Ka*e you ne*er ...25
a positi*e 9uestion here would be: 2!zy jad<eL juM kiedyL 1w Myciu4 truskawk=
(d4)N2 6 2Ka*e you already Oe*erP eaten a strawberry 1in QyourQ life4N24
)nd let's stress that once again: we are talking here of sentences whose vers take direct objects in the
accusative which is the asolute ma!ority of vers that take direct o!ects (more aout direct o!ects and
the accusative case in the section aout the accusative further on in the te*t). These vers include those
used in the e*amples aove: 3mieK3 (to hae"& 3!eLK3 (to eat"& 3g7askaK3 (to stroke (gie caress""
c) Hor some verbs the object must always e in te genitive (instead of the usual accusativedB). "n
other words: they present a (fi*ed) case government for the genitive. )mong those vers are:
3"otyka,3 (to touch)& 3u-ywa,3 (to use)& 3"owia"cza,3 (to e)perience (sth", to suffer (sth")&
3pozbywa, si3 (to get rid of)& Mbroni,3 (to defend)&
3pilnowa,3 (to watch oer sth*sb + to stand guard to sth*sb + to keep an eye on sth*sb)
Pozbywam si tego kota (d2)7 Im getting rid o! that cat2
G-ywam truskawki (d2) "o zrobienia tego koktajlu.
I use a strawberry to make that cocktail.
1... literally it3s more like: 2(...) for the !akin" of that cocktail.28 but
that3s not really important right now4
Ta kobieta pilnuje mojego "ziecka (d2)2 g"y jestem w pracy.
That woman watches over my child when Im at work.
.ez"omni czsto "owia"czaj( zimna (d2). The homeless o!ten su!!er cold.
1the nominati*e ; 2zimno2 1noun8 neuter44
Dotkn&am gor(cego garnka (d2) i si poparzy&am.
I touched *fe!.+ a hot cooking.pot and I burned *fe!.+ mysel!.
1the nominati*e ; 21gorRcy ?adj.4 garnek2 1masc.45 the refle+i*e pronoun 2si=2 6
which8 in Polish8 is the same for all persons8 i.e.8 it stands e9ually for:
2myself28 2yourself8 2himself28 ...8 2yoursel*es28 2themsel*es2 6 is usually not
placed 2hanging out2 as the last word in a sentence4
Prawo powinno broni, ka-"ego obywatela (d2). The law should de!end every citi)en.
1the nominati*e ; 21kaMdy4 obywatel2 1masc.44
.roH mnie (d2)7 1e!end me2
d) when a certain !uantit" of a sustance (or even of something astract) is the complement (the o!ect
or a 3'uasi(o!ect3) of a ver that sustance comes in the genitive in those situations. /ften (ut not
always) a word like 3trochN3 (some)& or 3odroinN3 (a little bit of) precedes a sustantive put in genitive used
this way:
Dalej mi wina (d2)2 prosz. 4our me (some) wine- please.
1in :nglish you need to add the word 2some28 in Polish 6 because the *erb choice
and the geniti*e complement 6 it is not strictly necessary: it becomes e*ident
that it3s some 9uantity of wine that is meant5
the nominati*e ; 2wino2 1neutr.44
Trzeba "o"a, o"robin cukru (d2).
There is a need to / It is necessary (5 Trzeba...) to add a little bit o! sugar.
>in English it would probably be best to say6 7It needs a some/a little more sugar.7@
1the nominati*e ; 2cukier2 1m44
Tego (d2) jest tu mn0stwo7 There is a lot o! that in here2
12Hego2 ; "enit. of "to" ("this,that") ; 2of that2 6 it3s abstract: we don3t
know what the speaker was talking about8 but it3s not important: the speaker
wants to inform us about the 9uantity of so!ethin" 6 we are probably e+pected to
know from the conte+t what it is that he/she means4
1am ju- "o, jego zac%owania (d2)7 I already have enough o! his behaviour2
1the nominati*e ; 21jego4 zachowanie2 1fem.45 in proper :nglish8 one that is
more remote from Polish synta+8 this sentence would be: 273*e already had enough
of his beha*iour.24
e) many prepositions (and prepositional e*pressions) are always followed with nouns in the genitive. "n
other words: those prepositions govern the genitive case. +ome of them are (" cannot asolutely warrant that
the list is complete& ut " guess " managed to rememer most of them :)):
A 3dla3 (!or)
A 3od3 (!rom6 for all situations not covered y the preposition 3z4ze3 Dlook elowF: and especially& when you
get something from a person)
A 3do3 (to- into)
A 3"4"e3 (out o! in the sense that something is made of something (parts& materials)$
out o! / !rom (inside) to say that someody or something comes from a place& is taken out of
a place& or has this place as the origin$ in case of people& it can e used to denote the country& the city& etc.&
that they come from$ generally speaking& this is the preposition to which the -nglish 3from3 would e
translated in clear ma!ority of situations$
3ze3 is a phonetic variant used in those situations in which the first sound of the following word
would make pronounciation nearly impossile: so& we have 3ze srebra3 and not 3z srebra3)
A 3#e"3 (without)
A 3o#o$3 (beside- ne8t to)
A 3%e%n&tr"3 = 3% 'rod$u3 (inside)
A 3na "e%n&tr"3 (outside)
A 3(o%)*e+3 (higher than- above)
A 3(oni*e+3 (lower than- below)
A 3%"d,u*3 (along- alongside)
A 3"amiast3 (instead o!)
A 3(odc"as3 = 3% c"asie3 (during)
Iaz w tygo"niu kupuj je"zenie dla kota (d2). 9nce in a week I buy !ood !or the cat.
J%yba zjem gruszk "amiast truskawki (d2).
I think ("chyba" = I think that / it seems to me that / probably) I will eat a pear instead o! a strawberry.
Dosta&a to w prezecie od "ziecka (d2). "he got this as a present !rom a/the/her child.
/ome eKamples using ot%er nouns to "emonstrate t%e use oL t%e remaining prepositions
Lollowe" by nouns in t%e genitiMe6
-la 1anueli (d2) portugalski jest &atwy. -la mnie (d2) jest tru"ny.
:or ,anuela 4ortuguese is easy. :or me 'it' is di!!icult.
1the nominati*es ; 2Manuela2 1... yes8 declension applies to proper names as
well45 2ja2 1pers.pron.45
side?note: notice that8 in Polish8 in the second sentence there is no need for
an e+plicit subject 6 just like in Portuguese or %panish8 it3s enough to say
2Sla mnie jest trudny.2: 2Sla mnie on jest trudny.2 wouldn3t be wrong8 but it
would be unnatural in this place5 O2portugalski2 T 2j=zyk portugalski2 ( 2j=zyk
1masculine42 ( 2on2P4
*"enerwowany cz&owiek c%o"zi od ciany (d2) do ciany (d2).
An upset *nervous; angered+ person is walking !rom one wall to another.
>literally6 Lrom wall to wall@
1the nominati*e ; 2Lciana2 1f44
Ten naszyjnik jest "e z&ota (d2). This necklace is (made) out o! gold.
1the nominati*e ; 2z<oto2 1neuter45
2ze2 is a form of 2z2 6 there are just those two e+isting 1the 2z2 and the
2ze"&* don3t worry: there are no words 2zi2 or 2zu2... well... there is 2za28
but that3s a different preposition... and a different story :4
the 2ze2 is used when the first syllable of the substanti*e that follows would
make it too difficult to pronounce the it together with the preposition5
for the story of 2za2 6 which is a totally different8 unrelated preposition 6
look into sections about prepositions in the descriptions of the accusati*e and
instrumental cases4
$oo"y 'llen jest " Dowego !orku (d2). !a jestem " Krakowa (d2).
10j przyjaciel jest " .razylii (d2). *esp0& '..' by& "e /zwecji (d2).
Jzy jeste " Polski (d2)F
%oody Allen is !rom <ew #ork. Im !rom =rak>w.
,y !riend is !rom Bra)il. The band ABBA was !rom "weden.
Are you !rom 4oland3
1the nominati*es ; 2Eowy Iork2 1m428 2UrakBw 1m428 2'razylia 1f428
2%zwecja 1f428 2Polska 1f424
Dajlepsze zegarki s( "e /zwajcarii (d2).
Tego ciasta nie upiek&a moja mama. #no jest "e sklepu (d2).
Te jab&ka s( " mojego "rzewa (d2).
The best watches are/come !rom "wit)erland.
,y mom didnt bake this cake*. It is *comes+ !rom a shop.
These apples are *come+ !rom my tree.
1the nominati*es ; 2%zwajcaria 1f48 21to4 ciasto 1n428 2sklep 1m428 21moje4
drzewo 1n425 the noun 2jab<ka28 as you can guess8 is the subject of the last
sentence8 so it3s in the nominati*e form as well8 but this is the plural
nominati*e 6 the singular is 2jab<ko 1n425
73*e combined the sentences again8 as 7 did in the e+ample abo*e8 because they8
again8 demonstrate a common trait: in the pre*ious e+ample8 the common
denominator was the notion of a city or a country being the place that a person
comes from5 in this e+ample8 we3re talking about a place of origin for a thing5
7 think a short e+planation is due with regard to the sentence marked with the
asteri+ 1A4. Hhis sentence is basically the same as the following sentence8 only
with its word?order modified:
2Moja mama 1d,4 nie upiek<a tego ciasta 1d$4.2
Od$ 6 because 2to ciasto2 is the direct object in a negati*e sentence: we
ha*e already co*ered this application of the geniti*e in the point 2b42P
7 e+pect you now to be asking the 9uestion: why then this modified word?orderN
Hhe answer is the emphasis. 7n a situation like we ha*e here with this sentence
and the one following it8 in :nglish one would use the passi*e mode in the first
one8 because it is the cake the that is central to the message. %o8 we would
ha*e:
2Hhis cake wasn3t baked by my mom. 7t comes from a shop.2 1probably the Present
Perfect Hense should actually be used in the first sentence: 2... hasn3t been
baked...28 but let3s not get further into that4.
7n Polish8 howe*er8 1and that3s the benefit resulting from declension48 we ha*e
a *ery fle+ible word?order8 which we can use to focus the reader3s 1or
listener3s4 attention on certain parts of a sentence without resorting to means
such as the passi*e *oice: in fact8 passi*e *oice is not used too often in
Polish8 and it is particularly little seen in informal language.4
Die b" "zi wyc%o"zi, " "omu (d2). I will not be getting out (o! home) today.
1the nominati*e ; 2dom 1m424
!ak "&ugo leci si " $arszawy (d2) do Pary-a (d2)3
/ow long is the !light !rom %arsaw to 4aris3
*more literally6 /ow long does one !ly !rom %arsaw to 4aris3+
1the nominati*es ; 2Warszawa 1f428 2ParyM 1f425
"leci si"' this is actually a su$ject for a separate little "lecture", $ut
since it%s nothin" too co!plicate# why shoul# - lea(e it as a !ystery. /ou !i"ht
$e reco"nizin" the "si" as the refle0i(e pronoun (which, inci#entally, is one
an# sa!e for all "ra!!atical persons). 1owe(er, in this "ra!!atical
construction, it #oesn%t ha(e !uch to #o with refle0i(eness. The co!$ination
<ve rb in the 3per ss ing! " "s i#" is use# in !uch the sa!e way as the "one/you" " <ve rb in the
3per ss ing! in 2n"lish to speak a$out actions where the su$ject is poorly
#efine#, or those that are talk of a uni(ersal e0perience' those of the secon#
"roup usually ha(in" the nature of so!e e0peri!entally pro(e# truths, or
reco!!en#ations.
20a!ples'
+ tym koncercie wci, jeszcze si m-wi.
/ +ne still keeps talking about t"at concert. /
/ 0eople still keep talking about t"at concert.
1!zie kupuje si znaczki pocztowe2 / W"ere !o you buy postal stamps2
3zym usuwa si te plamy2 / W"at !oes one remo$e t"ese stains wit"2 4
1agik wyjmuje kr0lika (d4) " kapelusza (d2).
The magician is taking (*out) a rabbit out o! a hat.
1the nominati*es ; 2krBlik2 1m48 2kapelusz2 1m45
the 2Aout2 is put there to indicate that the Polish *erb 2wyjmowa2 means 2to
take out 1of somewhere42 6 this *erb is only used when the object of the action
is inside something4
Die "a si -y, #e" przyjaci0& (d2). Its impossible to live without !riends.
1the nominati*e ; 2przyjaciele2 1plural45
the phrase 2!a si2 6 being a specific figure of speach based on the *erb
2!awa2 1to "i(e4 6 is used impersonally to e+press the idea: 2it is possible
1to do something428 2it is managable 1to take/suffer sth428 2Hhis is doable.26
123a si.244
Da tym z"jciu stoj o#o$ mojego zwariowanego kolegi (d2)
i mojej najlepszej przyjaci0&ki (d2).
In this photo Im standing ne8t to my cra)y pal *!ale+ and my best !riend *fe!ale+.
1the nominati*es are: 21mBj ?possess.pron.4 1zwariowany ?adj.4 kolega 1masc.428
21moja ?p.p.4 1najlepsza ?adj.4 przyjaciB<ka 1fem.42
note that the conjunction 2i2 12and24 does not by itself ha*e any
influence on the declension case of 2moja najlepsza przyjaci-ka2 1conjunctions
are totally neutral with regard to declension4: the reason why that part of the
sentence is in the geniti*e is that it8 too8 is associated 1and go*erned by4 the
preposition 2obok25 in fact8 the end of the sentence could look like this:
2...stoj obok mojego zwariowanego kolegi i obok mojej najlepszej
przyjaci-ki.28 but the repetiti*e 2obok2 wouldn3t look well5
in :nglish you say 2in the photograph28 in Polish you use the preposition 2na2
which most conte+ts corresponds to the :nglish 2on24.
.e%n&tr" tego owocu (d2) nie ma pestki (d2).
There is no stone (5 big seed) inside that !ruit.
1Virst8 the nominati*es: 21ten4 owoc2 1m48 2pestka2 1f45
now8 notice that the use of the geniti*e case has two different moti*ations
here: 2tego owocu2 is demanded by the preposition 2wewntrz28 2pestki2 is
demanded by the fact that we ha*e 2pestka2 as the object of a negati*e sentence
6 in this case: a typical 2Hhere is no...2 sentence4
J%cia&bym zobaczy,2 co jest % 'rod$u kota (d2).
I would like *!ale su$ject+ to see what is inside a cat.
1... of course8 this sentence is only a bit of black humour5 and... it3s
correct0 1although 73m sure cats would be of a different opinion :44
Na "e%n&tr" jego "omu (d2) stoi jaki po"ejrzany cz&owiek (d1).
9utside his house there is a suspicious.looking man/person standing.
1the nominati*e ; 21jego4 dom2 1m45
2(jaki)& (po!ejrzany& czowiek2 1masc.4 is the subject of this sentence: once
again8 7 ha*e used the fle+ible word?order to place the key element of the
sentence at the the head of it 6 that sentence e9uals this one: 24aki)
po!ejrzany czowiek stoi na zewntrz jego !omu.28 where you ha*e the more
familiar 2subject8 *erb8 object2 order5
7 can3t resist a temptation to di*ert your attention from the main subject for
yet a moment...: note that the 2jego !om2 12his house24 is not the house
belonging to the suspicious?looking man 6 not only because that would make no
sense as far as the message of the sentence is concerned8 but also because in
Polish the possessi*e pronoun used for the subect of a sentence is 2 sw-j !
1inflected appropriately to the number8 gender and case of the thing
2possessed.24. :+amples:
"4a umiem za!ba o swoje sprawy." / 5 can take care o# my business.
272 is the subject of the sentence8 and the 2possessor2 of the business.
"+na musi spakowa swoj walizk." / 6"e must pack "er suitcase.
2%he2 is the subject of the sentence and the possessor of the suitcase.
while 1when the subject is not the same as the 2possessor24...:
"+na umie za!ba o moje sprawy." / 6"e can take care o# my business.
"4a musz spakowa jej walizk." / 5 must pack "er suitcase.
Hhis rule is not *ery strict if the subject is the ,st or the $nd grammatical
person 1either singular or polural45 howe*er8 for a &rd person subject a *ariant
of 2sw-j2 is the only correct possessi*e pronoun.
Hherefore8 had 7 wanted to say that a suspicious man is standing outside his
own house8 7 would ha*e said:
20o!ejrzany czowiek stoi na zewntrz swojego !omu.24
$ tym miejscu wo"a w morzu siga mi tylko (o%)*e+ kolan (d2).
In this place the water in the sea reaches !or me only above my knees.
1first8 this is not *ery good :nglish8 but 7 didn3t want to stray too far away
from the Polish synta+ 6 in a proper :nglish it would be something like this:
24t this spot, the water of the sea reaches only a$o(e !y knees.25
second8 the nominati*es: 2kolano2 1singular8 neuter8 nominati*e4 ( 2kolana2
1singular8 neut.8 geniti*e45 2kolana2 1plural8 nominati*e... yeah8 7 know it
looks just like sing. geniti*e...4 ( 2kolan2 1plural8 geniti*e44
1am tego (d2) (o%)*e+ uszu (d2)7 I have this reaching above my ears2
1this is a figurati*e and *ery popular way of saying
2I've really had enouh o! "his#25
the nominati*es: 2to2 12this24 1neuter45 2ucho2 1singular8 nominati*e4 (
2ucha2 1singular8 geniti*e48 uszy 1pl. nom.4 ( uszu 1pl. geniti*e45 2tego2 ;
geniti*e of 2to2 1demonstrati*e pronoun45
the reason for the geniti*e form of 2to2 12tego24 is that we3re speaking of
some 29uantity2 of his beha*iour8 or rather 6 of e+periencing that beha*iour:
look at the last e+ample illustrating the earlier point 2d424
Ta sukienka jest "&uga (ona) siga (oni*e+ kolan (d2).
This dress is long it reaches below the knees.
!ego wyniki by&y (oni*e+ oczekiwaH (d2). /is results were below e8pectations.
1the nominati*e: 2oczekiwania2 1plural 6 this noun usually comes in plural44
To by& cios (oni*e+ pasa (d2)7 This was a blow (a punch) below the waistline2
1; 1fi"urati(e4 something grossly unfair5
the nominati*e ; 2pas2 1masc.45 note that 2pas2 means the 2waist2 1or
2waistline"), i.e. the middle part of a human body8 but it also means 2a $elt2:
after all8 that3s where you wear a belt8 isn3t itN :44
Droga biegnie %"d,u* rzeki (d2). The road runs alongside the river.
1the nominati*e: 2rzeka2 1f44
G-ywam o&0wka (d2) "amiast "&ugopisu (d2). I use a pencil instead o! a ball.point.
1the nominati*es: 2o<Bwek2 1m48 2d<ugopis2 1m45
the moti*ations for the use of geniti*e are different for the two nouns in the
sentence: 2o-wka (d2)2 is demanded by the *erb 2u,ywa2 1look at sub?point
2c4248 2!ugopisu (d2)2 is re9uired by the preposition 2zamiast24
/odc"as jaz"y (d2) autobusem musisz trzyma, si porczy (d2).
1uring a ride in a bus you must hold onto a handrail.
1the nominati*es ; 2jazda2 1f48 2por=cz2 1f45
like in the pre*ious e+ample8 the reason for inflecting 2jaz!a2 into its
geniti*e 12jaz!y24 is the 2rekcja2 of the preposition 2po!czas28 and the reason
for the use of geniti*e 2porczy2 is the 2rekcja2 of the *erb 2trzyma si2 1to
hold on / to hold onto sth45
the noun 2jaz!a2 can describe any kind of journey on wheels8 including getting
a ride in a car or dri*ing one4
. c"asie "eszczu (d2) "zieci si nu"z(. 1uring the rain children get bored.
1or8 in a good :nglish: 25hil#ren "et $ore# when it%s rainin".25
the nominati*e ; 2deszcz2 1m45
maybe it3s not the best place for that8 but let me 9uickly clarify that the
*erbal phrase 2to get bored2 corresponds in Polish to a refle+i*e *erb 2nudziG
si=2 6 now8 the 2si2 part can come either after or before the main *erb8 and it
is usually a*oided that the 2si2 would come as the last word in a sentence.4
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>>> d". the dative (ce#ownik)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
a) The main function of the dative is to designate te indirect object of a ver. ,hat it means is that if
we have an action that takes an o!ect (a person or a material thing)& ut the result of the action affects
another person (or thing)& then that 3another3 person (or thing) we call the indirect o!ect and the
sustantive for that person (or thing) we (usually) put in the dative. "n -nglish& designation of the indirect
o!ect is achieved through the use of constructions like 3to me3& 3for you3 or !ust y putting the indirect
o!ect efore the direct o!ect in the order of the sentence.
4ere are some e*amples of -nglish sentences to show what " mean :)
3,he gae me a book#3 3a ook3 is the direct o!ect& 3me3 is the indirect o!ect.
3-e bought his child a toy#3 3his child3 is the indirect o!ect& 3a toy3 is the direct o!ect. The o!ect of the
ver 3to uy3 is the thing you uy& and that's the direct o!ect& ut an important goal of the sentence is to
show the eneficiary of the purchase& the person whom the result of the action really affects and that's the
child (the indirect o!ect of this sentence).
3.ie it to me#3 again& we have the ver 3to give3 here& ut in this case the indirect o!ect comes as second
in the order of sentence& so the 3to me3 construction must e used.
)nd now some e*amples using the three model nouns: a cat& a strawerry& a child.
Jzesz kotu (d$) Luterko (d4). I comb / Im combing the !ur !or my cat.
12futerko2 ; diminuti*e of 2futro25 when we speak about the soft coat of the
small furry animals8 we use the dimuniti*e5 note: a more uni*ersal term for the
hairy coat of an animal is 2sierLG2... yeah8 how did 7 guess you wouldn3t like
it muchN 54 1... 7 mean: the pronounciation.4 Wnfortunately8 this the only word
to use with regard to dogs and horses...5 all neuter nouns 1i.e. these ending
with 2?o2 ha*e the accusati*e 1d-4 form identical with the nominati*e 1d,44
Jukier "o"aje s&o"yczy (d2) truskawce (d$). "ugar adds sweetness to a strawberry.
1in most situations the indirect object would be something animate8 a person or
an animal8 but8 as this e+ample shows8 it doesn3t ha*e to be so. What is
affected by the adding of the sugarN 2Hruskawka28 rightN :4 %o we ha*e a
strawberry in the dati*e.
67 don3t want to pile to many things in one place8 but in this sentence you can
see another e+ample of the geniti*e (d2) being used to say that sugar a certain
amount8 or some8 sweetness 1d, ; 2s<odycz24 to the strawberry 6 this is the
aspect of geniti*e usage that we3*e talked about in the point 2d42 of the
earlier section4.
Jzytam ksi(-eczk mojemu "ziecku (d$). Im reading a (childrens) book to my child.
1the nominati*es ; 2ksiRMeczka2 1f48 21moje4 dziecko2 1n45
2ksi,eczka2 is the dimuniti*e of 2ksi,ka2 1f4 which is 2a book2: 2ksi,eczka2
often suggests a small format of a book 6 and therefore it is often used for
personal documents in the format similar to that of a passport 6 but it is also
the word that is applied to all books for little children4
b) the important thing to rememer is that the action descried y the ver affects the indirect o!ect
this says nothing aout the nature of the effect& which doesn't have to e& and very often is not& eneficial or
advantageous to the indirect o!ect.
Gkra"li mi (d$) zegarek.
They *= somebody$ we don%t know who$ some thieves+ stole the watch 7!or me7.
1of course8 in :nglish a sentence like that looks ridiculous and one would say
2Hhey stole my watch.2 6 73m just trying to use the nearest corresponding
grammatical construction. 7n Polish it is also correct to say 2Wkradli mBj
zegarek.28 which literally has the meaning of 2Hhey stole my watch.25 howe*er8
this doesn3t appear as natural as the *ariant with the dati*e which puts
emphasis on the person affected5
2mi2 ; the dati*e of 2ja2 1pers.pron.44
Temu c%&opcu (d$) umar&a matka (d1).
&synta' translation() :or that boy / To that boy 'his' mother has died.
1>HH:EH7DE00: the 2synta+ translation2 is meant to show the structure of the
sentence0 Hhe natural way to speak the same message in :nglish would be: 2This
$oy%s !other has #ie#.2. >s before 1in the sentence with the watch48 we prefer a
sentence like 27emu c"opcu (d$) umara matka.2 to 2(atka tego c"opca (d2)
umara.2 in situations when this is a recent e*ent and when we want to touch
upon the personal and tragic aspect of the fact. We want to show that what
happened really affected somebody. Hhe second sentence 6 which literally means
2Hhe mother of the boy 1has4 died.2 12(atka tego c"opca umara.24 6 sounds
9uite impassionate and almost suggests that this is something that happened in a
further past. >n important note to make is that the Polish sentence does not
carry the meaning that the mother died for the $oy in the way it is understood
in the :nglish language: that she died to sa*e his life8 or to protect him. Eo.
Kere we speak only about the fact that her death influences him 1his life45
21temu4 ch<opcu2 ; the dati*e of 21ten4 ch<opiec25
2matka2 is the subject of this sentence 6 Polish synta+ is *ery fle+ible8 so
there is no problem in modifying the word order so that the thing that the whole
sentence is about would appear right at the start4
*epsu& si nam (d$) samoc%0". The car broke down on us.
17 think that this americanism 6 this 2on us2 6 has a *ery similar function to
the Polish dati*e: in this sentence it3s not so important that car broke down8
but that the failure affected the 2us2: probably8 2we" couldn3t get somewhere on
time5
2nam2 ; the dati*e of 2my24
c) The Polish like it a lot to speak aout things happening without there eing someody that can e held
responsile :) /O& !oke aside& "'m speaking here aout sentences with indeterminate subjects. +omething
happened& ut we're totally uninterested or unale to say who did it. )nd yet... we are often interested who
was affected y the action :)
Perhaps somewhat funnily& some of those things that we speak aout so impersonally in Polish are 'uite
personal e*periences " guess we assume that they come to us whether we want them or not& and that's why
we put ourselves as o!ects rather than su!ects of them :)
Cook at these e*amples:
!est mi (d$) zimno. *synta' tr+ (It) is cold to me.
*proper En+ I !eel cold. (or6 Its cold (here)).
!est mi ciep&o. I !eel warm. (*ou don%t need to give me your sweater$ dear ())
Jzy nie jest Ji (d$) za gor(coF 1ont you !eel too hot3
(+,,E-,I.-/( this is not a 0uestion( "1on%t you think you%re too attractive2" 3))3
12!i2 ; the dati*e of 2Hy24
!ej (d$) jest smutno. "he !eels sad.
12jej2 ; the dati*e of 2ona24
!est mu (d$) tru"no.
Things are di!!icult !or him. / /es !inding his li!e hard.
12mu2 ; the dati*e of 2on24
)s you can see& the repeating pattern of those e*amples is6
0est 1 nou n/p ron oun in !a ti$ e 1 a!$ erb
1all ad*erbs end in 2?o28 so if you know that something is not a noun and when
it ends in 2?o2 it is an ad*erb5
... to be 9uite precise8 in the e+ample with 2jej2 abo*e8 we ha*e the pronoun
in the first position in the sentence8 but that3s just a matter of word order:
placing the pronoun first makes more emphasis be put on it: such modification to
the word order may suggest that the 2she2 of the sentence was sad while 2the
others2 1some 2others28 we don3t know who4 were not5 of course8 the following
*ariant of the sentence is e9ually correct: 24est jej smutno.24.
There are also a few vers aout impressions and personal e*periences for which we use a different type of
dative construction which is& again& a construction in which the person who feels and e*periences the
things is not the su!ect ut the indirect o!ect of the ver.
Ta piosenka po"oba mi (d$) si. >synta' tr@ This song 7presents itsel! well7 to me.
&proper En) I like this song.
1Son3t get too scared about the seeming 2weirdness2 of it. >nd don3t take this
:nglish 2present itself2 too directly 6 the Polish *erb 2po!oba si2 isn3t so
stiff and formal: it is a really nice *erb whose meaning is something like 2to
$e likea$le28 2to $e pleasin"2.
7t3s important that you understand the way we e+press the notion that we like
something in the Polish language: we8 sort of8 don3t say that it is us who
choose to like it 6 it is more that the thing itself is pleasing and we cannot
help being affected by it. 7sn3t that sweetN 544
>ctually8 7 belie*e that the %panish language has a similar dati*e construction
for the 27 like sentences28 doesn3t itN
24e gusta la canci5n2 6 I like the song
2-o me gustan hormigas2 6 I don%t like ants.
one note: sentences of this type
20o!oba mi si Xco) (d4)Y2
ha*e the meaning:
2Xso!ethin"Y appeals to !y senses Oespecially to the si"htP2 56
but when you speak about something that fits your preference8 that is in your
taste8 that you ha*e a sympathy for8 when you talk about people you like8 or
things to eat8 when this 2liking2 is stronger and lasting8 then you say:
28ubi Xco) (d4)Y25 this e+pression follows the typical grammatical patern8
i.e. the person who likes this 2something2 1or somebody4 is the subject of the
sentence4
$y"aje mi (d$) si2 -e co zrobi&em +le.
'It' seems to me that I have done *mascv6orm+ something wrong.
1actually 6 surprise8 surprise0 54 6 there is not much to add or e+plain there8
because in :nglish the e+pression is similar8 the only difference being that in
Polish we ha*e a refle+i*e *erb: 2wy!awa si24
Przypomnia&o mu (d$) si2 -e musi wzi(, lekarstwo.
/e remembered that he had to take a medicine.
&synta' translation() 'It' reminded itsel! to him- that he has to take a medicine.
12mu2 ; the dati*e of 2on25
well8 there3s one more thing that you might ha*e noticed: in Polish8 in a noun
clause (which is a type o6 subordinate clause like the one in this e'ample$ ie$ one that serves as a complement o6 the verb o6
the main clause) we don$t adjust the tense to fit the tense of the main clause 6 so we
ha*e 2!usi2 1present tense4 no matter what the tense of the main sentence: in
this case 6 the past 12przypo!nia*o si244
Nni&o jej (d$) si2 -e lata. "he dreamt she was !lying.
17t3s 9uite impossible to make a 2synta+ translation2 for this one. Hhe *erb
2)ni2 can8 in some situations8 be used like 2to #rea!2 in :nglish8 with the
2dreamer2 being the subject and the acti*e agent in the sentence: 24a )ni.2 ?
2-%! #rea!in".2 'ut in case you want to tell the story of a *ision you had in
your sleep8 it is much more common and more natural to say that something 2was
dreamt to you2. 7 think it makes a lot of sense8 because we don3t acti*ely shape
our dreams8 do weN 1... Kello8 Mr. Vreud0 545
in this e+ample you can see again how the noun clause 1the subordinate clause4
is in present tense 12lata2: the past would ha*e been 2lataa"& e*en though the
main clause speaks about an action that was happening in the past: 2)nio jej
si2 ? the present would be 2)ni jej si244
d) +ome vers take te main object in dative (like an indirect o!ect) even if there is no direct o!ect
(which nearly always comes in the accusative) given in the sentence. Cook at those e*amples:
2 "zikowa, (to thank)6
Dzikuj Ji (d$). Thank you.
1and not 2Szi=kuj= Hy (d1).2 or 2Szi=kuj= !i= (d4%a&&us.).24
Po"zikuj temu panu (d$). Thank this gentleman. &imperative sentence)
1the nominati*e ; 21ten4 pan24
Po"zikuj jej (d$) za prezent. Thank her !or the present. &imperative sentence)
1the nominati*e ; 2ona24.
<ust consider that (in the logic of the Polish language) thanking is not a process in which you somehow
modify or directly influence someody& which is what usually happens when you have actions (vers) that
take a direct o!ect. 6ather than that& thanking seems to e viewed as an action that is only directed at
someody. "t so as if we didn't 3thank a person3 (3dziNkowaK kogo/ (d4)3 incorrect) ut thanked 3to a
person3 (3dziNkowaK komu/ (d) 3) (of course& this second e*pression is incorrect in -nglish).
) similar thing happens with the Polish ver 3to help3 (2 pomaga,). ,e look upon the action as one of
3giing help to someone3 (3pomagaK komu/ (d$)3)& rather than doing something that somehow directly
changes the person that is eing helped.
Jzsto pomagam mojemu tacie (d$). I o!ten help my dad.
1the nominati*e ; 21mBj4 tata2 1masc.44
!anek pomaga swojemu bratu (d$) napisa, wypracowanie szkolne.
?ohnny is helping his brother write a school essay.
1the nominati*e ; 2jego/1swBj4 brat2 1masc.45
the use of inflected 2sw-j2 1instead of 2jego24 is dictated by the fact that
the 2possessor2 refered to by this possessi*e pronoun is also the subject of the
sentences ? 73*e presented that shortly as an e+tended side note to one of the
e+amples in the point 2e42 of the section on the geniti*e4.
Pom0- mi (d$)7 /elp me2
Another important verb using an indirect object in the dative is the Polish equivalent o the !nglish
"to say / to tell / to speak" "2 m-wi"" #ell, this is not one verb in Polish to cover all situations
o a person speaking or saying things to another person $ other people, but this is certainly the one
most used" %he person that you tell the things al&ays comes in the dative, &hether the sentence says
&hat &as said or not" 'ne note( unortunately, the perective orm o the verb "m)&i*" is quite
irregular( "po&ied+ie*"" ,#e-ll talk about the perective aspect o verbs at some other occasion."
Powiem mojej "ziewczynie (d$) o moic% problemac%.
I will tell my girl!riend about my problems.
1the nominati*e ; 21moja4 dziewczyna2 1fem.4
si#enote: yes8 7 could ha*e also used 2swojej2 in place of 2mojej2 in that
sentence5 howe*er8 this is not obligatory for ,st?person subjects 1while it is
obligatory in case of some of the other grammatical persons8 particularly: the
&rd45 in fact the indi*idual possessi*e pronoun 12moja248 when used with a ,st?
person subject8 appears more personal4
Powie"z mi (d$)7 Tell me2
*awsze m0wi Ji (d$) praw"7 I always tell you the truth2 O)
Powie"zia& swojemu tacie (d$)2 -e rozbi& jego samoc%0".
/e told his dad that he had crashed his *i.e.- his !athers+ car.
1the nominati*e 2jego/1swBj4 tata2 1masc.45
once again you can obser*e the use of an 2indi*idual2 possessi*e pronoun
12jego24 and the 2generic28 2meant?for?the?subject2 2swBj2: the dad 2belongs2
directly to the guy who is the subject of the sentence5 the car8 howe*er8
doesn3t directly belong to the guy8 but to the dad 6 and this we are informed
about on account of the 2jego2 ha*ing been placed before the car. Kad the car
also directly belonged to the guy8 the sentence would ha*e been as follows:
2Powiedzia< swojemu tacie8 Me rozbi< swBj samochBd.2 ? here the owner of the
car and the 2owner2 of the dad is the same person.4
10wi&em mu (d$)2 -eby uwa-a&. I told him *not once+ to be care!ul.
1... again8 this is a matter of the perfecti*e / imperfecti*e aspect of a *erb8
and we won3t deal with that here in detail ? let me just say that 2m-wiem2 is
the imperfecti*e form of 2m-wi28 and that if the sentence was meant to inform
about a single specific warning then we would ha*e it use the perfecti*e and8
conse9uently8 look like this: 20owie!ziaem mu9 ,eby uwa,a.2... of course8 in
both cases it is a male person who was gi*ing the warning: if it had been a
female8 the conjugated *erb would ha*e ended with 2:am244
There is proaly yet a numer of vers that use dative for the main o!ect. Two more that " can think of now
are
32 wierzy Pkomu/ (d)Q3: to beliee PsomebodyQ& and 32 u#a Pkomu/+czemu/ (d)Q3: to trust
PsomebodyEsomethingQ
$ierz Ji (d$). I believe you.
Die wierz temu politykowi (d$)7 I dont believe that politician2
1the nominati*e ; 21ten4 polityk2 1masc.44
GLam mojej przyjaci0&ce (d$). I trust my (!emale) !riend.
1the nominati*e ; 21moja4 przyjaciB<ka2 1fem.44
Po prostu jej (d$) uLam. I simply trust her.
1the nominati*e ; 2ona2 1personal pron.44
Die uLam mojemu kotu (d$)7 I dont trust my cat2
1nominati*e ; 21mBj4 kot24
1Zou might want to notice that in the negati*e sentences abo*e the objects do
not change into geniti*e. Cemember: only the direct objects in the accusati*e
case change their grammatical case 1to the geniti*e4 in negati*e sentences.4
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>>> d4. the accusative (bie%nik)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The accusative is y far the most used case for direct objects which means that& e*cept for some vers
that take direct o!ect in the genitive (some of which " already presented earlier) and really few that use the
instrumental case (which "'ll cover later)& almost eery transitive verb has its direct o!ect in the
accusative. "n other words& if you have a ver that speaks aout some action that has an o!ect& in aout R?J
of situations that o!ect will e in accusative case. The direct o!ect is what the action of the ver directly
influences or changes in some way. "t can also e a direct result of an action.
#$$%&$'(&)* in negative sentences +e al+a"s use te genitive instead o, te accusative)
-*amples:
Karmi (r4) mojego kota (d4). Im !eeding my cat.
$&anie kroj (r4) ostatni( truskawk (d4). ?ust now Im cutting the last strawberry.
1nominati*e ; 21ostatnia4 truskawka24
1atka uczy (r4) "ziecko (d4) my, zby (d4).
The mother teaches the child to wash 'its' teeth.
1nominati*es ; 2dziecko2 1neuter: the neuter nouns$ all o6 which end with "7o"$ have identical 6orms 6or the
nominative and 6or the accusative48 2z=by2 1plural: nouns whose plural 6orm ends with "7y" in the nominative$ have the
same 6orm in the accusative45 the singular nominati*e is 2zRb2 1masc.4 1a tooth445
notice that we ha*e two *erbs here 6 the entire phrase 2my zby2 is the
indirect object of the *erb 2uczy28 but8 more importantly8 let3s obser*e that
both of the *erbs 12uczyG2 and 2myG24 are transiti*e and take a direct object in
the accusati*e 6 %45 the direct object of 2uczy2 is the person you teach 6 in
this case: 2dziecko (d4)28 and the direct object of the *erb 2my2 is what you
wash 6 2z=by (d4)24
" could practically end there... ut why not have a few more e*amplesA :) (especially if " have found them& so
" didn't even have to invent them :) "'ve orrowed the e*ample sentences from a matchless free
compendium of Polish grammar y ;rzegorz <agodzi=ski& availale online at:
http://free.of.pl/g/grzegorj/gram/en/gram00.html )
1atka wi"zi (r4) syna (d4). A/The mother sees 'her' son.
1the nominati*e ; 2syn2 1masc.44
/&ysz (r4) muzyk (d4). I (can) hear music.
1d, ; 2muzyka2 1fem.44
!emy (r4) obia" (d4). %e are eating dinner.
1d, ; 2obiad2 1masc.44
Pijecie (r4) wino (d4). #ou are drinking wine.
1d, ; 2wino2 1neuter44.
#powiem (r4 ' (op"ional) r$) Ji (d$) bajk (d4).
P will rea" you a c%il"ren=s story 4 a Lable 4 a LairyAtale.
1d, ; 2bajka2 1fem.45
the translation to :nglish makes things a bit confused but the direct object
here is 2bajka28 because what you read is a story8 not a person 6 the person you
read the story to is the indirect object of the action of reading5 the :nglish
sentence can be easily modified to show that clearly: 2- will a story to you.24
Pacjent "ostaje (r4) lekarstwo (d4) co"ziennie z rana.
The patient gets the medicine every day in the morning.
1d, ; 2lekarstwo2 1neuter44
Twoje zac%owanie (r4) martwi ro"zic0w (d4). #our behaviour worries 'your' parents.
1parents ; 2rodzice2 1d,8 pl.45 singular 2parent2 6 2rodzic2 e+ists8 but is
rarely used8 because in Dld?Polish that word clearly referred to a father8 not
to a mother. Hherefore8 2rodzic2 is used only in the formal language. Hhe
normally used form is 2je!no z ro!zic-w2 6 2one of the parents2.4
/h yes& " would have nearly forgotten that there are a couple of prepositions that take words in accusative :)
$
" can now recall five: 3na3& 3po!3& 3za3& 3prze!3& and 3w/we3...
There's a catch& though. These prepositions do not always govern the accusative case. There are no
prepositions with a single 3rekcja3 for the accusative case.
These five " have !ust named are prepositions that elong to what "'d like to call a 3 dual-re.cja 3 category .
This means that they govern one case in one type of situations& and another one in other situational settings.
,ell& it's not so ad& as it looks at the first glance: all those prepositions have a 3primary rekc!a 3 S which for
the 3na3 and the 3w+we3 is the locative (dT)& while for the 3pod"& the 3za3 and the 3przed3 is the instrumental
(dU) S and they have a 3secondary rekc!a3& which is always one for the accusative.
.ow& the 3primary rekc!a3 is the one that is used in the ma!ority of situations ("'d like to refer to them as
3static situations3). The rekcja for the accusative (3the secondary rekc!a3) applies only to the situations where
the preposition descries the destination& the goal& or the specific target of an aimed movement S which can
also e an action of thrusting& poking& staing& or shooting. "'d like to refer to them as the 3motion-
to+ards situations 3. The important thing characterizing the 3motion*towards situations3 that re'uire the
use of the accusative rekc!a is that the movement would e directed& that it would e dynamic& and that it
would e aimed at reaching the target.
" realize that in theory it looks like a pretty izzare concept& ut the e*amples will show you that it's not that
difficult in practice.
4ere are the prepositions again:
3na3 on top o! / onto the top o! the version that is used with a word in the accusative is 3onto the
top o!3
3(od3 4 under (underneath- beneath) again& the word that comes after it is put in the accusative
only when there is aimed movement directed to a place which is underneath something
3"a3 4 behind / in behind the second translation variant carries the sense of a motion*towards
situation& which is one where we would put the sustantive that follows in the accusative
3(r"ed3 in !ront o! / to the !ront o! in the instances where the second translation variant applies&
we have the accusative rekc!a
3%5%e3 in / in (into) this preposition governs the accusative nearly e*clusively in situations where
the following sustantive is a target of a thrusting& poking& punching& pricking& kicking or shooting action$
watch out not to form too strong a mental association etween the 3w/we3 and the -nglish 3into3& as the
3into3 more fre'uently corresponds to the Polish preposition 3!o3 (which we have already met with in the section
about the genitive$ which is the declension case it governs)
1the 2w/we2 *arianti*ity is moti*ated by facilitating pronounciation 6 just like
in case of the 2z/ze2 that we ha*e already seen in the section on the geniti*e4
-*amples:
/koczy& na st0& (d4). /e &umped onto a/the table.
&ut6 Qe-a& na stole (d6(lo&a"ive). /e was lying on a/the table.
1the nominati*e ; 2stB<2 1masc.44
/amoc%0" (d1) przewr0ci& si na "ac% (d4). A/The car rolled onto its roo!.
&ut6 /amoc%0" (d1) le-a& na "ac%u (d6). A/The car was lying on its roo!.
1the nominati*e ; 2dach2 1masc.44
Izucam pieni("ze ( d8 9d ir ec t ob :ec t ) na st0& ( d89be ca us e o6 t he pr ep osi ti on and t he dyn ami c ac t io n) .
Im throwing money on the table.
&ut46 Pieni("ze (d1) le-( na stole (d6). The money is lying on the table.
1nominati*es: 2pieniRdze2 1plural[the word is usually used in plural48 2stB<2 1masc.44
$c%o"z po" st0& (d4). Im coming in under a/the table.
&ut6: /ie"z po" sto&em (d5(ins"rumen"al). Im sitting under a/the table.
Kot (d1) ucieka po" st0& (d4). A/The cat is running &running to hide / escaping) under a/the table.
&ut6 Kot (d1) pi po" sto&em (d5). The cat is sleeping under a/the table.
)nd now for an interesting e*ample :) :
The refle*ive ver 3c"owa si3 (literally: 3to be hiding oneself3) can e used in two ways:
G. to say that a sdEsth is moving furtively (silently& 3invisily3) to a place where they can hide& or
>. to say that sdEsth is 3staying low3 in a hide(out.
.ow look how the choice of the declension case tells us whether the little girl is still running to her hide(out&
or if she's already there& !ust lying low and keeping 'uiet notice that nothing changes in the whole sentence
e*cept for the gram. case of one noun :)
Dziewczynka (d1) c%owa si po" &0-ko (d4).
A/The little girl is going in under a/the bed to hide there.
1nominati*e ; 2<BMko2 1neut.44
Dziewczynka (d1) c%owa si po" &0-kiem (d5).
A/The little girl is hiding under the bed.
1we don3t know how long she3s been there5 actually8 she might ha*e just slid in
there8 but she is not in the process of running to the bed or s9ueezing in under
it right now :44
Pacjent wc%o"zi za parawan (d4). The patient comes in behind the screen.
1nominati*e ; 2parawan2 1masc.44
!ompare: Pacjent (d1) czeka na lekarza (d4) za parawanem (d5)ins"rumen"al).
A/The patient is waiting !or a/the doctor behind the screen.
1the nominati*es ; 2lekarz2 1m48 2parawan2 1m45
accidentally8 we ha*e one unplanned usage e+ample here 6 2na lekarza2 is also a
situation where we ha*e the preposition 2na2 followed by a noun in the
accusati*e : howeve%' this is something a bit different8 because here the 2na2
doesn3t ha*e the function of telling us about a location 6 this 2na" belongs to
the 2rekcja2 of the *erb 2czeka2: in :nglish we say 2to wait for s$#,sth28 in
Polish8 "czeka na kogo)/co) (d4)24
$ysz&am za "rzwi (d4).
I went &6emverb6orm) out o! the door / I stepped outside (through) the door.
&literally() I went behind the door. &bad English)
!ompare6: /ta&am za "rzwiami (d5). I was standing &6emverb6orm) behind the door.
1the nominati*e ; 2drzwi2 1always plural in Polish044
#n zawsze pc%a si prze" szereg (d4). /e always pulls !orward o! the line.
&even more literally() /e always pushes himsel! to (a place) in !ront o! the line.
1the nominati*e ; 2szereg2 1masc.45
the phrase 2pc"a si prze! szereg2 is a Polish idiom signifying as much as 2to
come out olunteering when nobody needs you to, or when it can een cause trouble or embarassment25
its meaning is noticeably different from the seemingly similar :nglish phrase
2to step out of line24
!ompare6 Prezy"ent przemaszerowa& prze" szeregiem (d5) -o&nierzy (d2).
The president marched through in !ront o! a line o! soldiers.
1notice that the president did not walk towards the soldiers: he just walked
along the line formed by them 6 which means that we ha*e no 2mo"ion "owards2
situation8 and so the preposition 2prze!2 adopts the more common of its two
*arianti*e case go*ernments here 6 the one for the instrumental8 d"4
Ten i"iota (d1) u"erzy& w m0j samoc%0" (d4)2 g"y sta&em na czerwonym wietle (d6)7
That idiot hit my car as I was standing at the red signal2
&literally() (...) as I was standing on the red light.
1the nominati*es:
21mBj4 samochBd2 1masc.8 the accus. form looks the same48
21czerwone4 Lwiat<o2 1neut.4 6 the phrase 2sta na czerwonym )wietle2 makes
use of the preposition "na2 with its ordinary8 2primary2 go*ernment for the
locati*e.
2idiota2 1masc.4 this is the subject of the main clause8 so it is the
nominati*e form 6 7 just wanted to assure you that 7 ha*e made no mistake here:
it3s one of the few masculine nouns in Polish that end with 2?a2 and show a
declension pattern similar to that of feminine nouns5
this is an e+ample of the preposition 2w2 being coupled with an accusati*e
object8 because of the 2!otiontowar#s2 situation8 or more specifically: an
action of hitting something 1in ;olish it%s e'pressed as "hitting into something"48 which is the most
typical sort of action re9uiring the accusati*e after the 2w25
this particular e+ample sentence could ha*e used a different *erb combined with
the 2w2: 2wjec"a w2 12to #ri(e into2 1with the sense of: to ha(e a collision
with4:
27en i!iota wjec"a w m-j samoc"-! (!;& (...&2 12That i#iot #ro(e into !y car
(...)248 and as you can see the nature of the situation calls for the accusati*e
rekcja of the 2w2 also in this e*entuality.
side?note: the subordinate clause here is an adverb clause 9 we need to corelate the tenses o6 the clauses simply
because the whole point o6 this particular subordinate clause is to say when the action o6 the main clause took place (this is di66erent
6rom what we had with the subordinate noun clauses in two e'amples 6or the point "c)" o6 the section on the dative)4
(ompa%e6 *awsze wo- map (d4) w samoc%o"zie (d6).
Im always carrying a map in 'my*' car.
1the nominati*es: 2mapa2 1fem.48 2samochBd2 1masc.4 6 A4 you may ha*e already
noticed it in the earlier e+amples that in Polish we use possessi*e pronouns
9uite sparingly and we don3t place them before the nouns whose belonging or
direct relation to the subject comes as ob*ious from the conte+t5
in Polish there are two popular *erbs corresponding to the :nglish carry:
2nosi2 and 2wozi2 6 the first is fitting to use when you carry the things
walking 1like a porter8 or when you simply carry little things on you8 in the
pockets of your clothes or on your body45 the second comes into play when we use
any means of transportation4
/ne notale e*ception to the rule regarding the choice of case government in the "dual rekcja" prepositions is
the ver 3sia !a 3 to take a seat does not use the accusative& even though it is a ver that speaks aout
a 3motion towards3. ,ith that ver& the noun that comes after a preposition uses the same case as with the
3static3 (not speaking of any dynamic changes) ver: 3sie!zie3 to be sitting. +ee the e*amples:
/ia"am na krzele (d6). I take a seat on a chair.
Iust as well as with6 /ie"z na krzele (d6). Im sitting on a chair.
Eotes: the nominati*e ; 2krzes<o2 1neuter4. Hhe first acti*ity is 2dynamic2
(with a 0uality o6 a set target o6 the movement$ ie o6 a "motion towards")8 the second is 2static28 but the
dynamic 2sia!a2 always uses the same 2rekcja2 as the static 2sie!zie2. Hhe
2primary case go*ernment2 of the preposition 2na2 is for the locati*e 1d)45 let
me repeat it8 the 2secon#ary rekcja2 1for the accusati*e 1d444 would be used in
most of the dynamic8 2!otiontowar#s2 situations [ not those concerning the
action of the *erb 2sia!a28 though.
J%&opczyk sia"a za sto&em (d5). A/The boy takes a seat behind a/the table.
>nd pretty much the same here6 J%&opczyk sie"zi za sto&em (d5).
A/The little boy is sitting behind the table.
%ame thing as before8 the only difference being that the natural complement
for the preposition 2za2 is a word in the instrumental case (d5).
"t's really time to finish the story of this declension case& ut... " rememered a preposition that #/0#12
takes the accusative in the word that follows it2 :) That preposition is 3prz ez3 3through3& 3across3& 3by3.
-*amples:
*awsze ostro-nie przec%o"z przez ulic (d4).
I always go across the street care!ully.
1the Polish sentence puts the emphasis on the 2carefulness2 1that3s why 2zawsze
ostro,nie2 6 2always carefully2 6 goes up front and starts it48 so in :nglish
this message would be put best like this: 2*t$s a#wa+s ca%e,u##+ that * c%oss -
go ac%oss the st%eet.25 the nominati*e ; 2ulica2 1fem.44
Patrz przez okno (d4). Im looking out a/the window.
1in Polish we say 273m looking through a/the window25 the nominati*e ; 2okno2
1neut.44
Ta szaLa nie przej"zie przez "rzwi (d4)7 This wardrobe will not go through the door2
1the nominati*e ; 2drzwi2 1always plural44
KoH skacze przez przeszko" (d4). A/The horse is &umping *across+ a hurdle.
1in :nglish the *erb jump can be used transiti*ely8 that is: the thing that is
being jumped o*er simply becomes the direct object8 and thus no prepositions are
necessary5 in Polish the *erb 2 skaka 2 is always intrasiti*e : it cannot ha*e a
direct object and there has to be a preposition 12przez28 2na!24 used before an
object 1an indirect object45
the nominati*e ; 2przeszkoda2 1fem.45
2przeszkoda2 comes from the *erb 2przeszkadzaG2: to disturb8 to be a trouble8
to be an obstacle/hurdle4
Ten samoc%0" si nie psuje2 bo zosta& wypro"ukowany przez Diemc0w (d4).
This car doesnt break down- because it had been produced by the @ermans O))
1the nominati*e ; 2Eiemcy2 1plural45
singular forms ; 2Eiemiec2 1masc.4 (d1)8 2Eiemca2 (d4)4
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>>> d.. the inst%umenta# (na%z/dnik)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
a) The main role of the instrumental case is to indicate that a sustantive is an instrument or a means (a
method& a way) y which the action of the ver is e*ecuted. This 3instrument3 doesn't always have to e a
physical o!ect.
"n -nglish that function of the instrumental is handled y putting 3with3 in front of the word (3to be doing
something !ith something3)& or with such constructions as 3by means of 6so!ethin"73& 3using
6so!ethin"73& or& in specific circumstances: 3by 6so!ethin"73.
-*amples:
Pisz list (d4%a&&u) pi0rem (d5%ins"r). Im writing a/the letter with a pen.
1the pen is the instrument8 the tool of the action of writing5 the letter is the
direct object of the action 6 it is what directly results from the writing5
the nominati*es ; 2list2 1masc.48 2piBro2 1neut.44
1anuela lubi pisa, pi0rem (d5). ,anuela likes to write with a pen.
1side?note: a simple infiniti*e 6 ending in 2:2 6 comes after the *erb 2lubiG2
when we speak about liking to do something4
Jo"ziennie ja" "o szko&y (d2) autobusem (d5). 1aily / $very day I go to school by bus.
1the bus is a means of going5
66it is important to know that in Polish we say:
2i!2 12i)2 ; to "o (on foot)4: when we go on foot5
6while8 when we use some means of transport we say:
2ja!2 12jec"a 2 ; to ri#e (...,in,on sth)4: for any kind of land *ehicle8
2lec2 12lecie " < to fly (in,on sth)4: for any air/space transport8
or 2pyn2 12pyn 2 ; to float (in,on sth)4: for water transport5
with all these *erbs 1jec"a9 lecie8 pyn4 the specific *ehicle is usually
indicated by a noun in the instrumental5
6off?topic: we ha*e a use of the geniti*e in this sentence: 2do szko<y (d2)2
1to school4 6 the preposition 2!o" is always followed by a word in the geniti*e5
the nominati*es ; 2szko<a2 1fem.48 2autobus2 1masc.44
1ieszam zup (d4) &y-k( (d5). Im stirring (5' mi8ing) the soup with a laddle.
1the nominati*es ; 2zupa2 1fem.48 2<yMka2 1fem.45 the soup 6 direct object8 the
laddle 6 the tool of the action4
Die wiem2 jak opisa, to (d4) s&owami (d5). I dont know how to describe it with words.
1the nominati*es ; 2to2 1neuter4 1; it, this48
2s<owa2 1plural8 d,4 6 2s<owo2 1sing.8neutr.8d,44
Die wiem2 jak wyrazi, to (d4) je"nym s&owem (d5).
I dont know how to e8press that with one word.
1the nominati*e ; 21jedno4 s<owo2 1neuter44
Pisarz oczarowuje czytelnik0w (d4) opowieci( (d5).
The writer enchants the readers with the story.
1the readers8 being the direct object of the enchanting8 are also the direct
object of the sentence 6 so8 they come in the accusati*e5
the nominati*es: 2czytelnik2 1singular8 masc.8 d,48 2czytelnika2 1d-48
2czytelnicy2 1plural8 d,48 2czytelnikBw2 1pl.8 d-45 2opowieLG2 1singular8 fem.8
d,44
.ote that the action doesn't have to e intentional:
Gbru"zi&am sobie (d$) bluzk (d4) sosem pomi"orowym (d5).
I soiled &6emv6orm) mysel! the blouse with tomato sauce.
1this is also an interesting sentence because we ha*e three different
grammatical cases in use here:
1,4 the direct object of the sentence is the blouse8 because it was the blouse
that was soiled5
howe*er8 1$4 we also ha*e an indirect object8 because the soiling of the blouse
really affected 6 personally e*en more than grammatically 54 6 the owner of it:
the 2!e2 1a woman4 in the sentence5 it is the 2!e2 who is complaining about the
misfortune and its conse9uences5 for that reason we ha*e a refle+i*e dati*e
2sobie2
Othis refle+i*e dati*e 2sobie2 6 just like the accusati*e 2si2 6 is
uni*ersal: 21to4 myself28 21to4 yourself28 21to4 himself28 21to4 herself28 21to4
oursel*es28 etc.P5
and finally8 1&4 we ha*e 2the means28 2the method28 or 2the instrument2 of the
soiling 54 6 with to!ato sauce: this comes in the instrumental5
the nominati*es:
2sobie28 being uni*ersal to all gram. persons it8 doesn3t ha*e just one
nominati*e: well8 in this case it would be 2ja25
2bluzka2 1fem.8 d,48 2sos 1masc.4 pomidorowy 1adj. ?masc.4 1d,424
b) Proaly the second most fre'uent use of the instrumental is that when it is coupled with the ver
3by3 (to be) in all sentences of the type:
7/you/he/they... am 1are4 / was 1were4 / will be... somebody/something.
(those sentences speak of a ,unction & a role in life& a status in it& etc. )
#$$%&$'(&: this 3someodyEsomething3 means a noun. "f the word after the (con!ugated) 3by3 is an
ad!ective& then that ad!ective is put in the nominative (the 3asic form3 the only thing to take care of there
is to make it agree with the su!ect aout the gender: masculine& feminine& or neuter).
-*amples:
1anuela jest aktork( (d5) i piosenkark( (d5). ,anuela is an actress and a singer.
1the nominati*es: 2aktorka2 1fem.48 2piosenkarka2 1fem.44
.asia jest przeliczn( "ziewczyn( (d5). Basia is a wonderously beauti!ul girl.
1the nominati*e ; 21przeLliczna4 dziewczyna2 1fem.44
Panna /antos jest .razylijk& (d5). ,iss "antos is a Bra)ilian.
1the nominati*e ; 2'razylijka2 1fem.48 the masculine form is 2'razylijczyk2(d1)4
Iobert DeDiro jest s&awnym aktorem (d5) i re-yserem (d5).
Aobert 1e<iro is a !amous actor and director.
1the nominati*es: 21s<awny4 aktor2 1masc.48 21s<awny4 reMyser2 1masc.44
1artin Qut%er King by& o"wa-nym cz&owiekiem (d5).
,artin Buther =ing was a brave man (person).
1the nominati*e: 21odwaMny4 cz<owiek2 1masc.44
!ane Eoo"all ratowa&a goryle (d4). #na te- by&a "obrym i o"wa-nym cz&owiekiem (d5).
?ane @oodall was saving gorillas. "he too was a good and a brave person.
1the nominati*es: 2goryle2 1plural8 d- has the same form as d,48
2goryl2 1sing.8masc.8d,45 21odwaMny i dobry4 cz<owiek2 1masc.44
1usia&by by, wariatem (d5)2 -eby to zrobi,7 /e would have to be a madman to do it2
1the nominati*e: 2wariat2 1masc.4 < a 6emale "wariat" is "wariatka" (a madwoman 3)5
a more natural way to e+press this message in :nglish would ha*e been 2-e would
hae to be crazy to###2 6 with an adjecti*e4
#n b"zie tu nowym szeLem (d5). /e will be the new boss here.
1the nominati*e ; 21nowy4 szef2 1masc.4 < 6emale boss = "szefowa" (6em$ d=)4
)s said efore the situation is different when the words descriing the person are !ust solo ad!ectives
without nouns. Then& the ad!ectives come in the nominative the 3asic3 form (whose gender& let me repeat&
must agree with that of the su!ect). Cook at these e*amples and compare them to those aove to see the
difference:
1anuela jest utalentowana (adective' d1). ,anuela is talented.
1...6Jet3s play and add a noun now... we3ll get8 for e+ample:
1anuela jest utalentowan& (ad. d.) aktork & (noun' d.)4.
.asia jest przeliczna (adective' d1). Basia is wonderously beauti!ul.
Ta kawa jest brazylijska (ad. d1). This co!!ee is Bra)ilian.
1additional information: in Polish8 differently than in :nglish8 the adjecti*es
relating to countries and nationalities are written all in lower?case letters5
.. and we don3t use stand?alone nationality adjecti*es to refer to people3s
nationalities: in :nglish you can say 2-e is a $ole (noun".2 or 2-e is $olish (ad"#"#2
6 in Polish you cannot say 20n jest polski#2 ... unless you3re talking about an
obect 1a material thing4 that comes from Poland and has a masculine noun for
its name:
2&o jest m1j telewizor (masc#"# 0n jest polski#2
12This is !y T8set. -t &literally( Ke) is 9olish.245
the only way to talk about people is: 20n jest $olakiem (noun$ d%).28 20na jest $olk2
(noun$ d%).2 1the nominati*es: 2Polak2 1masc.48 2Polka2 1fem.45 unlike the
adjecti*es mentioned abo*e8 the nouns for representati*es of nations are written
starting with a capital letter.4
DeDiro jest s&awny (ad. d1). 1e<iro is !amous.
1artin Qut%er King by& o"wa-ny (ad. d1). ,artin Buther =ing was brave.
!ane by&a bar"zo (adverb 9adverbs are not in6lected) "obra (ad. d1). ?ane was very good.
1usia&by by, szalony (ad. d1)2 -eby to zrobi,7 /e would have to be cra)y to do it2
1iejmy na"ziej2 -e b"zie o"powie"zialny (ad. d1).
Bets hope that he will be responsible.
c) There are some vers that take the direct object in te instrumental. The list is not long& and even
though " don't intend to present here that entire list& " elieve there must e only few that " have left out :)
(:) zostawa / stawa si (kim) (d5)& to become (somebody" talking aout a role& a !o&
a function& or aout ac'uiring a certain 'uality or status$ 3zostawa3 is only used to talk aout !os and
functions$ 3stawaK siN3 is used when the personal aspect of the role is important$ also& 3stawa si3 can e
followed with a stand(alone ad!ective& and then we have the same situation as in the point 3)3 aove)
-*amples:
*osta& aktorem (d5) w wieku "wu"ziestu trzec% lat.
/e became an actor at the age o! C0.
$kr0tce sta& si bar"zo s&awnym cz&owiekiem (d5).
"oon he became a very !amous person.
Po pewnym czasie sta& si ca&kiem nieznony (a so#o adective 0 d1).
A!ter a (certain) time he became totally intolerable.
(:) rusza to moe (something"$ actually& rusza can take direct o!ect either in the instrumental
or (like most other vers) in the accusative and it's not a matter of free choice& really:
A rusza = a wor! in t"e accusati$e when we move an o!ect from one place to another (and
leave it there)$ it is usually& ut not e*clusively& used with o!ects that are rather heavy and difficult to move&
push& etc.$ ecause the action is rarely continuous or repetitive& in most cases the perfective for of the ver is
used (3ruszy3 33to hae moed33). -*.:
1usimy jako ruszy, t szaL (d4). %e have to move this wardrobe somehow.
1the nominati*e ; 21ta4 szafa2 1fem.44
!ak to (d4) ruszy,F /ow to move this3
1the nominati*e ; 2to2 1neut.45 the 2it2 doesn3t always mean something physical:
this is a popular phrase to use in situations when you need to do something
difficult8 especially when it3s about sol*ing some practical problem that you
ha*e ne*er tried yourself against before8 so you don3t know e*en how to start:
2:here #o - start.28 21ow #o - "o a$out this.24
Iusza&e moje rzeczy (d4)F /ave you touched &mascv6orm) my things3
1literally it is: 21ave +ou moved m+ things228 but the kind of situation when
this sentence is used would be when you see that somebody was manipulating your
personal belongings while you were away 1a *isible e*idence of which would
probably be that the things ha*e changed position4: in :nglish the *erb 2to
touch2 is used for the occasion5
the nominati*e: 21moje4 rzeczy2 1plural4 ( 21moja4 rzecz2 1sing.8fem8d,44
.otice that the direct o!ect in accusative means that the negatives for those sentences are uilt with the
direct o!ect in the genitive:
Die ruszaj moic% rzeczy (d2)7 1ont touch my things2
1the nominati*e ; 21moje4 rzeczy2 1plural44
Die b" rusza, Twoic% rzeczy (d2). I will not touch your things.
1the nominati*e ; 21Hwoje4 rzeczy2 1plural44
)nd now we move from an actual off(topic to something on(topic :) which is the second usage of the
ver rusza this time& finally& with a word that follows the ver eing put in the instrumental:
A rusza = a wo r! in t"e in str ume nta l when we move move parts of our ody& or when
we make controlled movements with an o!ect y holding it in our hand(s) or as if we were holding it in our
hand(s). -*.:
.oli mnie2 g"y ruszam praw( rk( (d5). I !eel pain when I move my right hand.
1more literally: 2It gives me pain when...25 the nominati*e ; 21prawa4 r=ka2 1fem.44
Die ruszaj g&ow( (d5)7 1ont move your head2
1...something you might hear at a hairdresser3s :4 5 notice that ha*ing the
direct object in the instrumental 1and not in the accusati*e4 in positi*e
sentences8 the rekcja of this 2ruszaG2 maintains the instrumental also for the
negati*e5
the nominati*e ; 2g<owa2 1fem.44
Iusz myszk( (d5). ,ove the (computer) mouse.
1the nominati*e ; 2myszka2 1fem.44
Qu"zie na &o"zi powoli ruszaj( wios&ami (d5).
The people on the boat slowly move the oars.
1the nominati*e ; 2wios<a2 1plural48 2wios<o2 1sing.8 neut.44
(:) opiekowa si (= a wor! in t"e instrumental> kim) (!?& / czym) (!? ) )
to look after (somebody + something"
$ weeken"y opiekuj si moim c%orym ojcem (d5).
9n weekends I look a!ter my sick !ather.
1the nominati*e ; 21mBj4 1chory4 ojciec2 1masc.44
Ta kobieta nie opiekuje si swoim "zieckiem (d5) "obrze.
This woman doesnt look a!ter her child well.
1the nominati*e ; 21jej / 1swoje44 dziecko2 1neut.4
again8 the direct object being in the instrumental case means that it stays in
the instrumental also in this negati*e sentence5
2dobrze2 is an ad*erb 6 these are non?inflected: they always stay the same4
Jzy b"ziesz opiekowa, si moim kotem (d5)2 g"y mnie nie b"zieF
%ill you look a!ter my cat when Im not here3
1the nominati*e ; 21mBj4 kot2 1masc.45
side?note: notice that in Polish we put that subordinate clause 6 the part
after the 2"#y , when2 6 in the future tense in this kind of situation: talking
about a a future possibility/condition4
(:) zajmowa si (kim) (!?& / czym) (!? ) ) to take care of + to deal with +
to be+get busy with + to do as one's occupation or special interest
$ pracy zajmuj si rac%unkowoci( (d5).
At work I deal with accountancy. / ... I take care o! the accountancy.
1the nominati*e ; 2rachunkowoLG2 1fem.4 6of course8 there3s no need for you to
remember this particular noun: 7 just had to think of something that you can be
dealing with at work8 so as to demonstrate the meaning of the *erb4
*ajm si tym (d5)7 Ill deal with this2 / Ill take care o! this2
1the nominati*e ; 2to2 1neuter44
*ajmij si swoimi sprawami (d5)7 Take care o! your own business2
1meaning: 2-t%s not your cup of tea;28 2<in# your own $usiness;25
2sprawy" (p#.' d1) 6 matters, issues5 2sprawa2 (sing.' d1)4
#na kie"y troc% zajmowa&a si sportem (d5).
At some point in the past s"e use! to !o (...) /
/ s"e use! to "a$e somet"ing to !o wit" (...) sports.
1the slash separates two translation *ersions8 each carrying a moderately
different meaning: that3s because the Polish 2zajmowaG si=2 is somewhat
ambiguous 1imprecise4: it3s difficult to say clearly by the light of that
sentence if the 2she2 was an acti*e sportswoman8 or if she was doing something
2around2 the sports: she might ha*e been a sports journalist for e+ample5
without a conte+t we would usually assume an acti*e in*ol*ement: i.e.8 that she
was doing the sports8 that she was a sportswoman5
the nominati*e ; 2sport2 1masc.44
#ni wie"z(2 jak zajmowa, si "zieckiem (d5). They know how to take care o! a child.
1the nominati*e ; 2dziecko2 1neut.44
(:) c"wali si (czym) (!? ) / also! kim) (!? & )
to boast (about" something (somebody", to pride oneself on something
10j s(sia" bez przerwy c%wali si swoj( znajomoci( (d5) japoHskiego(d2).
,y neighbour incessantly boasts his command o! ?apanese.
1notice the use of the instrumental8 but also the use of the geniti*e
6 in the nominati*e: 2the knowledge / command of Iapanese2
; 2znajomoLG (d1) japo\skiego (d2)25
the nominati*e ; 2japo\ski2 1adj.8 masc.44
Die c%wal si swoimi sukcesami (d5). I dont boast about my successes.
12moje / 1swoje4 sukcesy2 1pl.8d,48 2mBj / 1swBj4 sukces2 1sing.8d,44
(:) kierowa (czym) (!? ) / also! kim) (!? & )
to steer + to direct (a team of people"
+ to drie (a car"
10j tata kierowa& "zia&em (d5) transportu (d2).
,y dad directed the transport department. *7... the department o! transport.7+
1the nominati*es ; 2dzia<2 1masc.48 2transport2 1masc.44
Kto kieruje tym samoc%o"em (d5)F %ho is driving this car3
1the nominati*e ; 21ten4 samochBd2 1masc.45
side?note: an alternati*e 6 and e9ually much used 6 *erb meaning 2to #ri(e (a
!otor(ehicle)2 is 2prowa!zi (r;&2: notice that prowa!zi comes with the
standard case go*ernment for transiti*e *erbs8 which means it is followed by a
word in the accusati*e5 therefore8 the sentence abo*e8 gi*en the other *erb for
2to dri*e28 would look as follows:
23to prowadzi ten samoch1d (d4)4244
Przypa"ek kierowa& jego -yciem (d5). Dhance directed his li!e.
1the nominati*e ; 21jego4 Mycie2 1fem.44
Kie"y b" kierowa, miejskim autobusem (d5).
I will drive a city bus some day / at some point in the !uture.
1the nominati*e ; 21miejski4 autobus2 1masc.45
side?note: the same sentence using the alternati*e *erb 2prowa!zi2:
23iedy/ b5d5 prowadzi6 miejski autobus (d4).24
(:) sterowa, (czym) (!? ) & to steer, to control
Pilot steruje samolotem (d5). A/The pilot steers a/the plane.
1the nominati*e ; 2samolot2 1masc.44
#n nig"y nie sterowa& &o"zi( (d5). /e has never steered a boat.
1the nominati*e ; 2<Bd]2 1fem.45 no change of case for the object substanti*e 6
but you already know that only the accusati*es change4
Iuc%ami (d5) robota (d2) steruje komputer (d1).
A computer controls the movements o! the robot.
12ruchy2 1pl.8d,48 2ruch2 1sing.8d,48 2robot2 1masc.8d,45
sorry for adding a little complication8 but you should also be prepared for
this8 because that3s just an element of natural Polish: obser*e that the
sentence has an in*ersed word order 6 the subject 12ko!puter24 has been mo*ed to
the last position in the sentence5 that sentence is in no significant way
different from this one: 2@omputer steruje ruc"ami robota.28 with the e+ception
that the first one 6 the one in the e+ample 6 looks and sounds more natural: the
reader/listener would ha*e a natural tendency e+pect the most significant8
informati*e part of the sentence to come at its end8 so that3s the position we
try to shift it to. 7n :nglish8 that same e+pectation of the reader/listener has
to be satisfied through the use of passi*e *oice: 2&he moements of the robot are
controlled by a computer#24
d) )s with the three cases efore& we have a few prepositions +ic govern te instrumental case.
/ne of them is pretty characteristic& ecause it always comes with a word in the instrumental& and esides...
... ,e already know that the main function of the instrumental is to speak aout the tools and means of an
action& which is something that in -nglish we achieve most of the time y using constructions like 3I did
something !ith something else3& where the 3something else3 is the tool or the means rightA
,ell& we also know that the preposition 3with3 is used in other conte*ts as well for e*ample& in the
sentence 3I'm walking with my friend&3 the friend is not a tool :)
.ow& the thing is that the Polish preposition 3with3 3z / ze 3 always comes with the instrumental&
ut we use it only in the 3together with3 meaning$ so& we say:
Daprawiam kran (d4) kluczem Lrancuskim (d5).
Im repairing a/the !aucet with a monkey wrench.
1the nominati*es: 2kran2 1masc.48 2klucz francuski2 1masc.45
2kran2 1the faucet4 is the direct object here8 and so 6 in the regular fashion
6 it comes in the accusati*e5 2klucz #rancuski2 is the tool of the action and it
comes in the instrumental 6 there3s no reason to put the Polish preposition 2z /
ze2 here8 of course4
)nd now look at this sentence:
Daprawiam kran (d4) z s(sia"em (d5).
Im repairing the !aucet (together) with 'my' neighbour.
1the nominati*e ; 2sRsiad2 1masc.4 ( a female neighbour: 2sRsiadka2 1fem.44

.otice the similarity and the difference etween those two sentences. "n -nglish oth of them could e
nearly identical the only thing to do is to replace a tool with a person :) (even though adding the word
3together3 does make the sentence read nicer). "n Polish we don3t use the 3z / ze3 when talking aout
aout aout a tool E an instrument...
...4/,-5-6: " guess that the association with the -nglish usage& where 3with3 is applied to instruments&
might help memorizing that the case to e used after the Polish preposition 3with3 (i.e.& the 3z / ze3) is
al+a"s the instrumental .
/O& " need to clarify here that 3z / ze3 is not used e*clusively in the meaning of 3together with3: its usage
is really 'uite similar to that in -nglish the ma!or (onlyA) difference proaly lies in it never eing used in
designating the tools and means of actions. +ee it for yourself on a few more e*amples:
#na bawi si z jego "zieckiem (d5). "he is playing with his child.
1the nominati*e ; 21jego4 dziecko2 1neut.4
notice the ambiguity of the :nglish e+pression 2to play with2: it can mean 2to
engage in mutual entertainment28 but it can also be read as: 2to manipulate8 to
treat 1a person4 instrumentally2 [ the right interpretation largely depends on a
conte+t5 in Polish8 there is no e9ui*ocality here: to con*ey that more sinister8
underhand message of the :nglish phrase8 one would ha*e to lea*e out the 2z28 so
as to make the sentence look this way: 2+na bawi si jego !zieckiem.24
Jo jest nie w porz("ku z t( truskawk( (d5). J%yba jest zepsuta.
"omething is wrong &lit.: "not in order") with this strawberry.
I think &lit.: "possibly / likely") it is gone bad.
1the nominati*e ; 21ta4 truskawka2 1fem.44
.ar"zo lubi ciasto z truskawkami (d5). P really like a cake wit% strawberries.
&lit.: "I much like")
1the nominati*e ; 2truskawki2 1plural44
1am mas k&opot0w z moim kotem (d5). #n w og0le nie s&uc%a si mnie7
I have a lot o! trouble with my cat. It wouldnt obey me at all2
1the nominati*e ; 21mBj4 kot2
2suc"a si (r'& kogo) (!'&%2 [ to listen to an# o$ey or#ers of so!e$o#y4
)s an ending note for the description of Polish preposition 3with3 3z / ze3 (and of its usage with
o!ects in the instrumental case)& let me remind you to be cautioned that the same(looking preposition 3z E
ze3 (ut followed y a word in te genitive ) has a ver" di,,erent meaning look ack into the section
aout the genitive for details.

There are a few more prepositions which want the words that follow them to e in the instrumental.
)ctually& " can now think of four& and let's hope that this is aout all of them :) 4ere they are:
A 3na!32 3pon a!3 oer, aboe
A 3po!3 under
A 3za3 be%in" (2 beyon")
A 3mi!z y kim)/czym) (!?&% a kim)/czym) innym (!?&%32
3mi!z y / pomi !zy jakimi) lu!Ami/rzeczami (plural9!?&%32
between 'somebody+something( (and 'somebody+something else("
between 'some people+things(
A 3prze! 3 in Lront oL2 beLore
)ll of these prepositions define position in space (the last one can also e used to speak aout time).
6ememer that in Polish we have this situation where spatial (space(related& position(related) prepositions
can e followed y o!ects either in the grammatical case which is specific for those particular prepositions
(like the instrumental for 3na!3& 3po!3& 3za3& 3prze!3) or in the accusative. ("'m talking here aout
something " call the 3dual&re'c"a3.) The accusative is used when a preposition comes with a ver
e*pressing the notion of 3motion towards3. Cook ack into the section aout the accusative for more details.
4ere we shall !ust have a few e*amples of the mentioned prepositions in circumstances where the ver does
not speak of a 3motion towards3 the location pointed to y them& and so where they come with an o!ect in
the instrumental:
(3na! 3)
1uc%a lata mi (d$) na" g&ow( (d5). A !ly is !lying above my head.
1the nominati*es ; 2ja2 1pers. pronoun48 2g<owa2 1fem.45
2mi2 is the dati*e in the function of showing 2the one who is affected by the
action2 6 again8 when relating things in Polish we look at things from the more
personal perspecti*e of 2the one who is affected by the darned fly2 rather than
from that of 2the one whose head the insect is o*er2 :45
yes8 7 know that the *erb 2to fly2 is not e+actly 2static28 but here it is used
in its imperfecti*e8 continuous form8 so that the sentence doesn3t tell us that
the fly would ha*e been trying to reach a specific place abo*e 2my2 head5 no8
the fly was just flying there8 aimlessly8 ho*ering abo*e my head: it might ha*e
been e*en flying in circles 544
Da" nami (d5) wieci s&oHce. Above us the sun is shining.
1the nominati*e ; 2my2 1personal pronoun44
Trzymam parasol wysoko na" g&ow( (d5).
Im holding the umbrella high above 'my' head.
1the nominati*e ; 2g<owa2 1fem.44
(3po! 3)
*gubi&a kluczeF Poszukaj po" &0-kiem (d5).
/ave you lost &6emv6orm) the keys3 Book/,ake a search under the bed.
1the nominati*e ; 2<BMko2 1neut.45
2szukaG2 1to make a search8 to look for something4 is not a *erb associated
with motion: it3s an action that goes on in a specific location8 but does not
ha*e the character of an aimed mo*ement from a point > to a point '4
Die ma nic lepszego po" s&oHcem (d5) ni- truskawki7
There is nothing better under the sun than strawberries2
1this is a fairly popular 6 e*en if a little oldfashioned now 6 way of saying
that something is really great and that you lo*e it :44
Die mog si ruszy,7 Gtkn(&em po" biurkiem (d5)7 Pomocy7
I cant move2 I got stuck &6emv6orm) under the desk2 '"omebody' help me2
1the nominati*e ; 2biurko2 1neut.44
(3za3)
E"zie jest m0j kotF #n mo-e by, za szaL(.
%here is my cat3 /e/It can be behind the wardrobe.
1the nominati*e ; 2szafa2 1fem.44
*a sie"mioma g0rami (d5)2 za sie"mioma lasami (d5)2
-y&a sobie kie"y pikna kr0lewna.
(In a land situated) beyond seven mountains- beyond seven !orests-
once upon a time there lived a beauti!ul princess.
1the nominati*es:
2gBrami2 ; 1d"8pl.4 of 2gBry2 ; 1d,8pl.4 of 2gBra2 1d,8sing.8fem.45
2lasami2 ; 1d"8pl.4 of 2lasy2 ; 1d,8pl.4 of 2las2 1d,8sing.8masc.45
6this 2=eyon# se(en...2 1actually 27eyond the seenth###2 would ha*e been better
:nglish4 is the classic opening phrase for fairy?tales in Polish: for us to say
2...in a land far, far away2 wouldn3t be poetic enough :45
6you might also be interested in why it3s 2,ya sobie2 1...3li*ed 2to/for
herself23...4 6 well8 that3s a subject for a separate short lesson.. but8 *ery
briefly: adding 2sobie2 after a *erb that doesn3t really re9uire it is a medium
used to emphasise a kind of solitude of the subject5 it can also be a means to
focus the attention of the reader/listener on that person/character8 to mark
him/her/it as one that the narrotor sympathizees with.4
*obacz2 czy kto nie i"zie za nami (d5). "ee i! there is nobody walking behind us.
1the nominati*e ; 2my2 1pronoun45
you might argue here that the *erb 2to walk2 is definitely a 2motion *erb28 but
again: the concept of 2!otion towar#s2 is that the subject mo*es towards a
specific place in space 6 the subject3s aim is to reach a specific location5
this is not the case here: if one person keeps following another there is no
place that the follower wants to reach4
(3mi !zy 3)
1i"zy moim blokiem (d5) a blokiem (d5) mojego znajomego (d2)
stoj( "wa inne bu"ynki (d1).
Between my (apartment) block and the block o! my a(uaintance
there are two other buildings standing.
1the nominati*e ; 2blok2 1masc.48 21mBj4 znajomy2 1masc.45
again8 2(!wa& (inne& bu!ynki28 regardless of their position as last in the
sentence8 are the subject here 6 this sentence could be rewritten this way 1and
it would be totally all?right grammatically8 only it would look unnatural8
ha*ing the informati*e part of the statement not where the reader/listener would
e+pect it8 i.e.8 at the end of the sentence4: 28wa inne budynki stoj2 mi5dzy###24
1i"zy naszymi blokami (d5) stoj( "wa inne bu"ynki (d1).
Between our (apartment) blocks there are two other buildings standing.
E"y piszesz2 r0b wiksze przerwy (d4) mi"zy literami (d5)7
%hen you write- make bigger gaps *spaces+ between letters2
1the nominati*es:
21wi=ksze4 przerwy2 1pl.8d,48 21wi=ksza4 przerwa2 1sing.8fem.8d,48
2litery2 1pl.48 2litera2 1sing.8fem.8d,45
2przerwa2 6 an empty space between two things 1usually a little one48 a gap8 a
distance5
2robi2 1to do8 to make4 has the standard rekcja 1r-48 so plural 2przerwy2 come
in the accusati*e 1which looks the same as the nominati*e for most plural
nouns44
$ szkole (d6)2 przerwa to czas mi"zy je"n( lekcj( (d5) a "rug( (d5).
At school- the break is the time between one lesson/class and another
*literally6 and the second 'one'+.
1the nominati*es ;
; 2szko<a2 1fem.48 21jedna4 lekcja2 1fem.4 2druga 1lekcja42 1fem.45
side?note_,: 2w szkole (d) 0#ocative)2 results from the rekcja of the preposition
2w2 12in2 1sometimes 2at245
side?note_$: the 2to2 used here is not an 2it2 nor a 2this2... actually8 that3s a
matter that surely deser*es more than just a short mention :4... but8 in a nutshell:
this 2to2 acts as a linking *erb8 working much like the :nglish 2to $e28 or the Polish
2$y>2 when you want to characterize the subject by e&uallin" it to another substanti*e:
it3s use is limited only to substanti*es [ the 2thin" of reference2 cannot be an
adjecti*e here. Dne could say that the function of this 2to2 is 9uite similar to that of
the *erb 2byG2 as described in the point 2b)2 of this section 1the section about the
instrumental4: they are both ways of specifying the character or the 9ualities of the
subject5 the difference is subtle8 and so is the choice of the method to use.
7n general terms8 one could say that the *ariant with 2 by 2 is used more to talk about a
role8 a function8 something attained or ac9uired8 and probably not e+hausting all that
the speaker can say about that particular subject.
Hhe construction with the 2 to 28 on the other hand8 would be preferred when specifying
more intrinsic 9ualities and characteristics8 or ones that are so dominant that they
practically encapsulate the nature of the subject 1at least8 from the speaker3s
perspecti*e48 as if allowing for a clear categorization:
2Xthe subject( e9uals 'a substantie representing a ciass of characteristic things(5
:+.: 23ot to zwierz5 domowe#2 [ 2:at is a pet animal#2
Kowe*er8 this distinction is not *ery strict.
Dne important thing to remember is that 2by 2 is always conjugated and8 in this
function8 it is always followed by an object in the instrumental 1d"48 whereas the 2 to 2
is not inflected in any way and joins with substanti*es in the nominati*e 1the 2basic2
case8 d,44
Raba ma b&ony (d4) mi"zy palcami (d5)2 -eby lepiej p&ywa,.
A !rog has membranes between 'its' !ingers in order to swim better.
1the nominati*es: 2b<ony2 1pl.d,48 2b<ona2 1sing.8fem.8d,48
2palce2 1pl.d,48 2palec2 1sing.8masc.8d,4 6 it3s worth
mentioning here that the Polish 2palec2/2palce" refer refer to any digit/digits:
both to the fingers8 and to the toes4
!aka jest o"leg&o, (d1) mi"zy tymi miastami (d5)F
%hat is the distance between these cities3
1the nominati*e: 21te4 miasta2 1pl.d,48 21to4 miasto2 1sing.8neut.8d,44
1i"zy czerwon( kurtk( (d5) a niebiesk( (d5) nie ma r0-nicy (d2) w cenie (d6).
Between the red &acket and the blue one there is no di!!erence in price.
1the nominati*es: 21czerwona4 kurtka2 1fem.48 2niebieska 1sukienka42 1fem.adj.48
2rBMnica2 1fem.48 2cena2 1fem.45
2nie !a2 comes with a word 12r?nica24 in the geniti*e... becauseN :4
Hhat3s right0 6 because it3s a classic sentence of the
2t%ere is no ... 4 t%ere are no ...2 type8 whiere the direct object always comes in
the geniti*e 6 and the e+act reason of that is e+plained in the section about
the geniti*e 1shortly speaking: 2!ie>2 is a typical r-?*erb45
it3s 2w cenie 1d. ?locati*e42 because the le+ical unit 2r-,nica w ...2 uses
the 2primary2 rekcja for the preposition 2w28 which is one for the locati*e5
most colligations in which the preposition is coupled with a word other than a
*erb use the 2primary2 case go*ernment of the prepositions they incorporate5
the locati*e is the case dealt with in the ne+t section4
(3prz e!3)
Prze" szko&( (d5) czekali uczniowie (d1).
There were students waiting in !ront o! the school.
1the nominati*es:
2szko<a2 1fem.48 2uczniowie2 1students8 pupils44 6 plural8d,8
2ucze\2 (a male student3 also used in a non7gender7speci6ic designation) 6 masc.
2uczennica2 (a 6emale student) 6 fem.5
additionally$ a group consisting solely o6 6emale students would be re6erred to as: 2uczennice2 6 pl$6em$d=
the word 2uczeB2 applies to the students of primary and secondary schools:
at the uni*ersity le*el we ha*e: 2student2 (masc and generic)8 2studentka2 (6em)8
2studenci2 12studentki24 (pl)
2uczniowie2 is the subject of the sentence8 but because it is also the most
material element of it 1the sentence is all about saying that it was students 6
and not somebody else 6 that were waiting in front of the school48 we want that
word at the end8 because that3s where the reader3s/the listener3s attention
would focus4
/tanlimy prze" wyborem (d5)6 po""a, si2 albo walczy, "alej.
%e stood *we came to stand+ be!ore a choice6 to give up or to !ight on.
1the nominati*e ; 2wybBr2 1masc.44
Iozmawia&em z ni( (d5) prze" "wiema go"zinami (d5).
I was talking &mascv6orm) with her two hours ago >literally6 be!ore two hours@.
1the nominati*e ; 21dwie4 godziny2 1plural44
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>>> d). the #ocative (miescownik)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
There will e no su(points (a& & c& ...& n $)) in the description of this case. This case is used only following
certain prepositions. That's why in -nglish terminology it is sometimes called 3the prepositional case3. The
name 3locative3 comes from the fact that many of the prepositions have to do with location. #ut as you
have already seen 'uite a numer of prepositions associated with location come with o!ects in other
declension cases (the instrumental& the genitive& the accusative)& and... there is at least one very important
preposition that does not refer to location and yet it always comes with the locative. ,e are going to start
with that one:
3o3 no mistake: !ust one letter 3o3 :) it stands for: 3about3 (ut only in the sense of something eing a
su!ectEtopicEmatter of a conversation& etc.& and not as a synonym of: 3circa3& 3around3& 3appro*imately3)
# kim (d6) m0wicieF About whom are you talking3 / %ho are you talking about3
1the nominati*e ; 2kto2 1interrogati*e pronoun44
Iozmawiamy o naszym s(sie"zie (d6).
%e are talking / having a conversation about our neighbour.
1the nominati*e ; 21nasz4 sRsiad2 1masc.45 the feminine *ariant is 2sRsiadka24
Ta ksi(-ka jest o psac% (d6). This book is about dogs.
1the nominati*e ; 2psy2 ; plural of 2pies24
/(sia"ka m0wi&a "obrze o Twoim psie (d6).
The (!emale) neighbour spoke well o!/about your dog.
1the nominati*e ; 21HwBj4 pies2 1masc.44
# czym (d6) by& Lilm2 kt0ry ogl("a&a wczorajF
About what was the movie that you watched &6emv6orm) yesterday3
1again8 that3s not an e+ample of good :nglish8 but the synta+ corresponds well
to that of the Polish sentence5 the nominati*e ; 2co2 1interrogati*e pron.44
$czorajszy (a"j.) Lilm by& o zaczarowanym kocie (d6).
The yesterdays movie was about an enchanted cat.
1the nominati*e ; 21zaczarowany4 kot2 1masc.44
There is also a different& second use to the preposition 3o3 it is placed efore the numer of the hour when
giving the time$ also: efore one of several time(specifying nouns (most notaly: the word 3pora3: the time,
the hour, the moment) the corresponding -nglish preposition for these situations is the 3at". "n this use
the preposition 3o3 also governs the locative:
10j poci(g wyrusza o go"zinie sz0stej (d)).
,y train departs at si8 (oclock). >more literally6 7... at the si8th hour7@
1the nominati*e ; 21szBsta4 godzina2 1fem.44
4aybe it%s not very pertinent to the essence o6 our sub:ect here$ but a 6ew e'planations seem inevitable ,he number e'pressing the
hour in ;olish is an ordinal number$ and as such it is in6lected in con6irmity with the declension pattern o6 ordinal numbers$ which
happens to be the same as that o6 ad:ectives +lso$ it is customary to put that ordinal number a6ter (rather than be6ore) the word
"god>ina" (in accord with the general tendency to place the more material words a6ter those carrying less meaning) ?sually$
however$ 9 with the e'ception o6 the very 6ormal or bureaucratic usage 9 the noun " god>ina " is altogether omitted $ leaving :ust the
"bare" ordinal number( still in the 6eminine variant and appropriately in6lected(
# sz0stej (,em.o%d.num.'d)) zwykle nie ma mnie (d2) jeszcze w "omu (d)).
At si8 Im usually not home yet.
>synta' translation( 7At the si8th usually there is not me yet at home.7@
1the nominati*es ; 2szBsta2 1fem. ordinal no.48 2ja2 1pers.pron.48 dom 1masc.45
2domu 1d.42 is demanded by the case go*ernment of the preposition 2w2: more
about it in a few lines3 time :44
# tej porze (d)) zazwyczaj jeszcze pracuj (ve%b).
At this/that time Im usually still working. (... Im usually still at work)
1the nominati*e ; 2pora2 1fem.45 2zazwyczaj" < "zwykle24
/ther prepositions followed y a word in the locative case are:
( 3w / we3 in, inside
(3we3 like the 3ze3 for the 3z3 is a version of the preposition used when necessary to make
pronounciation possile).
( 3na3 on, on top of
( 3po3 G. oer the surface+area+space of said of peopleEthings moving& spreading& spilling& etc.& over an
area or space$ all oer
>. after ; when speaking aout time$ notice that the contrasted word 3prze!3 (before) uses dU)
( 3prz y3 at& right ne)t to$ also: by me+you+him+her & by my+your+his+her side
...
)nd these are all the prepositions showing locative rekcja that " can think of. ("'m sorry& " don't have a list to
check that against& so you will have to rely on my memory& ut " really dout " could miss any significant one$
and " don't actually presume to create any complete le*icons my goal is to present the most important and
representative e*amples.) #ear in mind& though& that those few prepositions "'m talking especially of the
3o3& 3w3 and 3na3 (aout& in& and on) are proaly the most used of all.
Cet's see some e*amples now& shall weA :)
(3w / we3)
DzieH "obry7 Jzy Piotr jest w "omu (d6)F @ood morning2 Is 4eter at home3
1the nominati*e ; 2dom2 1masc.4
notice that in Polish we use the preposition 2in2 12w24 with the word 2home28
and that we don3t ha*e a distinction between the 2home2 and the 2house2 6 both
things 1one3s regular place of residence8 and a stand?alone building to li*e in4
are called 2dom24
# rany7 $ lo"0wce (d6) ju- nie ma mleka (d2)7
"hucks2 Theres no milk le!t in the !ridge2
1the nominati*es ; 2lodBwka2 1fem.48 2mleko2 1neut.45
7 think the reason for the 2milk2 landing in geniti*e case here must be ob*ious
for you all by now [ if it3s not8 7 can only suggest that you come back to the
section on the geniti*e5
2ju,2 actually means 2alrea#y2 or 2any!ore2 [ here8 it is used emphtically to
e+press the surprise and disappointment at not finding the milk when it3s
needed8 rather than to con*ey simple information or to intimate that the milk is
running out too 9uickly in the household 54 1that last allusion could ha*e been
read8 had there been an 2alrea#y2 there in the sentence4: that3s why 7 went for
the word 2left" in the translation.4
1oja s(sia"ka zakoc%a&a si w aktorze (d6) z telenoweli (d2).
,y (!emale) neighbour !ell in love &6emv6orm) with &;olish uses an "in" here)
an actor !rom a soap.opera.
1the nominati*es ; 2aktor2 1masc.48 2telenowela2 1fem.45
the preposition 2z2 1from, of, out of4 demands d$ (see the sect on the genitive)
2to fall in lo(e (with so!e$o#y)2 6 2zakoc"a si (w kim) (!C&&24
/pr0buj postawi, si w mojej sytuacji (d6). Try to put yoursel! in my position.
1the nominati*e ; 21moja4 sytuacja2 1fem.44
Jo oni wi"z( we mnie (d6)F %hat do they see in me3
>meaning6 7%hats (so) special about me37@
1the nominati*e ; 2ja2 1personal pron.44
!acek ca&ymi wieczorami sie"zi w kinie (d6).
?ack sits at &;olish uses an "in" here) the cinema all evenings.
1the nominati*e ; 2kino2 1neut.44
# tej porze zwykle jestem w pracy (d6).
At this time I am usually at &"in" again) work *at my workplace+.
1the nominati*e ; 2praca2 1fem.44
Pikniejszego wi"oku (d2) nie ma w ca&ej Polsce (d6)7
There isnt a more beauti!ul view in the whole 4oland2
1the nominati*es ; 21pi=kniejszy4 widok2 1masc.48 21ca<a4 Polska2 1fem.45
..yet another e+ample of a 2there is/are not / there is/are no2 type of
sentence8 and the use of geniti*e in it4
$ pu"e&ku (d6) s( jeszcze "wie czekola"ki (d1).
There are still two chockolates le!t in the bo8.
1the nominati*e ; 2pude<ko2 1neut.445
Cet me mention it again here that the preposition 3w/we3 also elongs to the group of those which can
alternatively e followed y an accusative o!ect. 4owever& the usage of the accusative with 3w/we3 is really
limited rememer that the directional 3into3 (for the 3motion towards3 situations) is already covered y
the preposition 3!o3 for most purposes. Thus& the construction V3w/we3 = accusati$eW is used mostly
in situations where something is eing stuck or thrusted into something else& or when that 3something else3
is the target of punches& kicks& shots& etc.
Cook at these two e*amples:
1am to w nosie (d6)7 I have this (up) in 'my' nose2
1the nominati*e ; 2nos2 1masc.45
here we ha*e the 2natural28 2static2 rekcja of the preposition 2w2 6 for the
locati*e5
7 guess you mar*el at the choice of an e+ample: yes8 the phrase 2mie co)% w
nosie2 does ha*e a figurati*e meaning :4 : it means 2to care nothing about
'something(28 2to not gie a darn about 'something(2... 7 will also add that the *ersion
featuring the nose is an euphemistic one :4 6but 73m not saying more :44
Eo, z"enerwowa& si &mascv6orm) i waln(& &mascv6orm) mnie w nos (d4).
The !ellow/the guy got angry and smashed me in the nose.
1the nominati*es ; 2ja2 1pers.pron.48 2nos2 1masc.45
the nose was the target of a punch8 so it comes in the accusati*e5
the direct object of the *erb is the the 2!e2 6 that comes in the accusati*e as
well5 2go)2 1masc.4 literally means 2a,the "uest28 but in collo9uial language
it is used to refer to any male character8 just like 2"uy28 2fellow28 2$loke28
etc.8 in :nglish4
/ther e*amples:
$bi& wi"elec w kurczaka (d4). /e stuck the !ork in the chicken.
1the nominati*e ; 2kurczak2 1masc.44
$bi& wzrok w ziemi (d4).
/e stuck 'his' eyes >literally6 'his' sight- 'his' look@ in the ground.
1the nominati*e ; 2ziemia2 1fem.45
this is 9uite a commonly used phrase when saying that somebody drooped their
head and remained standing with their eyes to the ground: so to a*oid 9uestions
and not to let others read anything out of their face8 or when contemplating
something sad4
(3na3)
*awsze zostawiam klucze na stole (d6) w kuc%ni (d6).
I always leave the keys on the table in the kitchen.
1the nominati*es ; 2stB<2 1masc.48 2kuchnia2 1fem.45
in this sentence we ha*e two different prepositions that both go*ern the
locati*e: 2na2 and 2w25
in natural Polish the formula 2### na stole w kuchni#2 would usually be preferred o*er
2### na kuchennym (ad:) stole#2 12... on the kitchen table248 which is the more natural
way to say the thing in :nglish.4
Poczekaj na mnie (d4) na ulicy (d6). %ait !or me (out) on the street.
1the nominati*es ; 2ja2 1personal pronoun48 2ulica2 1fem.45
notice that the *erb 21po4czekaG2 is intransiti*e8 and8 being such it doesn3t
take a direct object5 howe*er8 those kinds of *erbs often can8 and often #o8
take complements in form of the so?called 2prepositional o$jects2. Hhe :nglish
*erb 2to wait28 used in a conte+t like abo*e8 also takes an object *ia a
preposition: you wait 2for so!e$o#y,so!ethin"28 not 2wait so!e$o#y,so!ethin"25
at least not in the regular8 popular usage. Hhe choice of the preposition is a
matter of the idiosyncrasy of a language8... (as we see in this e'ample$ where the English "to wait" is
complemented with "6or" and "poc>eka@" is complemented with "na" (which more o6ten corresponds to the English "on"))... but
such int%ansitive3ve%b0p%eposition co##igations are stable8 and they go*ern the
case of the following substanti*e in their own8 specific way5 *ery often when
the preposition of such colligation is one of those ha*ing 2#ou$le rekcja2 6
like 2w/we28 2na28 2po!2 6 the rekcja of the entire colligation is the 2dynamic2
2secon#ary rekcja2 of the preposition 1and that one8 let me remind you8 is
always for the accusati*e45 that3s the e+planation of the reason for the
accusati*e 2mnie2 after the first 2na2 of the sentence5
the second 2na2 1in 2na ulicy24 has the normal locati*e function8 so it comes
with 2ulica2 in the locati*e case: let me8 howe*er8 reiterate it that if we had
a sentence like 2:ome out to me on+onto the street#2 1this supposed to be in imperati*e
mood4 we would frame it this way: 2Wyj!A !o mnie na ulic (d4).28 because we
ha*e a clear 2motion?towards2 situation here8 and so the accusati*e form is
needed 6 see the section about the accusati*e 6 d-4
1am ba&agan na g&owie (d6). 'le w g&owie (d6) mam porz("ek.
I have a mess on my head. But in my head I have an order.
1again8 as in the first e+ample in this group8 we ha*e the prepositions 2na2 and
2w2 6 and they both go with a word in the locati*e5 the nominati*e ; 2g<owa2
1fem.44
G psyc%oanalityka (d2) le-y si na kozetce (d6).
At a psychoanalists one lies *rests+ on a couch.
1the nominati*es ; 2psychoanalityk2 1masc.48 2kozetka2 1fem.45
side?notes: ,. when talking about *isiting a professional to get a certain type
of ser*ice8 the corresponding element to the :nglish 2at 'name of a profession('s2 is
2u name o# a pro#ession in t"e geniti$e%25
$. in Polish8 the impersonal 2one 'does something(2 is e+pressed by combining
the third person singular conjugation of the appropriate *erb with the refle+i*e
pronoun 2si2: 2je+>2 ? 2je si2 1one eats48 2pi>2 ? 2pije si2 1one drinks48 2i+>2
? 2idzie si=2 1one goes (on foot"4... etc.5 no subject is present in this type
impersonal e+pression in Polish5
howe*er8 refle+i*e *erbs8 which already use the pronoun 2si2 because of that
refle+i*eness8 re9uire the use of a different impersonal construction8 one with
a dummy subject 2czowiek2 1a human, a person4: 2nu#zi> si2 1to $e "ettin" $ore#4
6 2czowiek si nu!zi2 1one is getting bored, lit( a person is getting bored44
Dajciekawsze inLormacje w tej gazecie (d6) s( na ostatniej stronie (d6).
The most interesting in!ormation in this newspaper are on the last page.
1the nominati*es ; 21ta4 gazeta2 1fem.48 21ostatnia4 strona2 1fem.45
it is worth noting that 2in#ormacja2 1sing.8fem.8d,4 is a countable noun in
Polish 1for most of the popular conte+ts48 so it is absolutely normal to speak
of it in plural: 2in#ormacje2 1pl.8d,45 2infor!acja2 ; 2a piece of information25 the
noun is uncountable when used in the sense of 2infor!ation ser(ice28 e.g:
2in#ormacja turystyczna2 1tourist information44
*obacz2 co tam le-y na ziemi (d6). "ee whats lying there on the ground.
&that%s in imperative mood$ the person addressed being the gram Andpsing)
1the nominati*e ; 2ziemia2 1fem.44
/ie"+ prosto na krzele (d6)7 "it straight on the chair2 &imperative$ e'actly like above)
1the nominati*e ; 2krzes<o2 1neut.44
Da niebie (d6) pojawi&a si tcza (d1).
A rainbow appeared/has appeared in the sky.
1the nominati*e ; 2t=cza2 1fem.45
as we3*e already seen in a few earlier e+amples8 the thing that matters in the
sentence is what appeared in the sky5 therefore8 the word order is so set as to
put the word 2t=cza2 in the end8 where it will get focused attention of the
reader/listener5
Polish uses just one past tense8 so8 although there is a grammatical
differentiation between completed and uncompleted actions 1by means of *erbs
taking perfecti*e or imperfecti*e aspect forms48 it is only from the conte+t
that one can say if a completed action took place in a distant past or just a
moment ago8 and what signifance for the present it has4
!ab&ka rosn( na jab&oni (d6). Apples grow on an apple tree.
1the nominati*e ; 2jab<o\2 1fem.44
(3po3)
/amoc%0" je"zie po ulicy (d6). A/The car is going over a street.
1the nominati*e ; 2ulica2 1fem.45
the only really well fitting preposition in Polish here is the 2po2 6 (moing"
oer (the surface of" 6 which to you8 7 understand8 must look somewhat odd and
complicated :4 26amoc"-! jec"a na ulicy.2 would be understandable8 but
incorrect8 and it would look and sound really strange5
for the different *erbs applicable to different manners of going 12i)28
2jec"a28 2lecie248 look at one of the first e+amples in the section about the
instrumental 6 d".4
Iuszy&a (ver*) maszyna (d1) po szynac% (d6) ospale (adver*).
The machine started ahead over the tracks sluggishly.
1the nominati*e ; 2szyny2 1plural4 1rails, railroad tracks45
this is a line from the famous Polish children3s *erse 2Cokomotywa2 12&he train*
engine24 by Iulian Huwim5
yes8 the first word of that line is a *erb :4 1inflected in the &rd pers. past.
fem.4 6 the word order of this sentence is rather unusual 1but fully correct04
and moti*ated by the melodic plan of the *erse 1that3s one of the great things
that the declension affords45
2rusza2 1when intransiti*e4 ; to moe, to budge, to moe ahead, to start, to set off4
Jzekaj(c na wyniki (d4)2 uczniowie nerwowo c%o"zili po korytarzu (d6).
%aiting !or the results- the students nervously walked (up and down) the corridor.
1the nominati*es ; 2wyniki2 1plural4 1d, looks the same as d- for this noun4 (
2wynik2 1sing.8masc.8d,48 2korytarz2 1masc.44
we already know why it3s 2wyniki2 in the accusati*e after 2czekajc na28 rightN
6 it3s because 2czeka na2 is a *erbal colligation that 1as a single le+ical
unit4 takes its object in the accusati*e4
Qubi c%o"zi, po miecie (d6).
I like to walk the city / ... to walk the streets. *7to wander over the area o! the city7+
1the nominati*e ; 2miasto2 1neut.44
#ni uwielbiaj( biega, boso po pla-y (d6). They love to run bare!oot on the beach.
1the nominati*e ; 2plaMa2 1fem.45
2na pla?y2 would be fine if what was happening on the beach was static and
didn3t in*ol*e mo*ing o*er it 128ubimy czyta na pla,y.2 6 2We like to read on the
beach#248 or if a sentence was so constructed as to make the beach only the
uni*ol*ed setting of an acti*ity 12D!c na pla,y9 uwielbiamy biega boso.2
6 2When on the beach, we loe to run barefoot#2 6 2=#@c na pla?y...2 translates more
literally as 2=ein" on the $each...2 : 2$ein"2 doesn3t by itself connote
mo*ement45
2uwielbia2 is preferred o*er 2koc"a2 when referring to fa*oured things or
acti*ities5 2kochaG2 seems somewhat effusi*e and affected in such conte+ts8
unless you speak about acti*ities which are your true life?passions4
Po tym zamku (d6) w&0czy si "uc% (d1). A ghost wanders over that castle.
1the subject of the sentence 1a "host4 is the last word 12#uch245
the nominati*e ; 21ten4 zamek2 1masc.44
Potr(ci&am niec%c(cy szklank (d4) i mleko rozla&o si po ca&ym stole (d6).
I accidentally/unintentionally nudged the glass-
and the milk spilled over the whole table.
1the nominati*es ; 2szklanka2 1fem.48 21ca<y4 stB<2 1masc.44
$r0ci&am &6emv6orm) "o "omu (d2) po "w0c% go"zinac% (d6).
I came back home a!ter two hours.
1the nominati*es ; 2dom2 1masc.48 21dwie4 godziny2 1fem.45
2!omu2 1in geniti*e4 is caused by the rekcja of the preposition 2do2 1to4: look
back in the section on the geniti*e case5
2wraca" < to come back, to return (vi)4
(3prz y3)
/ie"z przy stole (d6). Im sitting at the table.
1the nominati*e ; 2stB<2 1masc.44
#n ci(gle sie"zi przy komputerze (d6). /e sits at the computer all the time.
1the nominati*e ; 2komputer2 1masc.45
2cigle2 1ad*erb4 ; constantly, continuously, all the time4
/toj przy oknie (d6) i patrz w niebo (d4).
Im standing by the window and Im looking in the sky.
1the nominati*es ; 2okno2 1neut.48 2niebo2 1neut.45
2patrzy na (/w& co)2 1to look at (or in" something4 is another colligation of an
intransiti*e *erb with a preposition through which the *erb affects an object5
we ha*e already learned that such colligations8 taken as a unit8 ha*e their own
case go*ernments for those objects8 and that these go*ernments tend to be
accusati*e go*ernments when the preposition in*ol*ed is one of those ha*ing
2#ual rekcja24
!ego blok stoi przy (ulicy (d6)) Pi&su"skiego (d2).
/is (apartment) block stands at 4iEsudskiego "treet.
1the nominati*e ; 2ulica2 1fem.45 1AAA2Pi<sudski2 1surname in masc.form44
2przy2 is the preposition used in gi*ing an address5 the word 2ulica2 6 which
because of the rekcja of the preposition 2przy2 comes in the locati*e 6 is often
skipped when the conte+t makes it clear that we3re speaking of an address5
AAAtri*ia: streets in Poland are named with words 1the names /the descriptors/ are
always capitalized8 the word 2ulica2 is treated just like e*ery other noun4:
those words 1descriptors4 can be either:
?nouns 1usually names of important people or historical e*ents4
?or adjecti*es 1e+.: (ulica) 3*u"a 6 long (street"8 Azeroka wide, Bwiatowa flowery,
:arszawska <arsoian Oin a town ouside Warsaw this one will usually transform into an
e+it road going in the direction of WarsawP45
if the name of the street is a noun 1as in our e+ample8 where 29i*su#ski2 is the
surname of one of Poland3s greatest political leaders48
then it always comes in the geniti*e 6 that3s because what we ha*e there is a
structure with the meaning of 2the street of Xsomebody /somethingY2: this relation of
1grammatical4 2belonging2 is permanent and8 since it is e+pressed by the 2possessor2
being in the geniti*e8 the inflection of the word 2ulica2 ne*er influences the geniti*e
form of the descriptor 1thus8 you will always see the street referred to as
29i*su#skie"o2 6 in :nglish?language publications that will be 29i*su#skie"o Atreet2 6
although 29i*su#skie"o2 is just a functional form of 2Pi<sudski245
if8 on the other hand8 the street name is an adjecti*e 1and it is always a feminine
*ariant of the adjecti*e8 because 2ulica2 is feminine48
then that 1adjecti*e4 descriptor has to be inflected8 just as all adjecti*es are5 the
thing is8 though8 only two forms are re9uired in most conte+ts: the nominati*e 128uga +
,zeroka + 3wiatowa + Warszawska248 and the locati*e 1for the more or less interchangable
reference prepositions 2na2 and 2przy2: 2na+przy 8ugiej + ,zerokiej + 3wiatowej + Warszawskiej44
1oja babcia by&a zawsze przy mnie (d6)2 g"y jej potrzebowa&am.
,y grandma was &6emv6orm) always by my side when I needed &6emv6orm) her.
1the nominati*e ; 2ja2 1personal pronoun44
) general note on usage: in the e*amples aove the only preposition to e used is 3przy3. "t's worth
rememering& however& that in situations where things or people are not standing really close together
(almost touching) and when we're not speaking aout emotional pro*imity& the preposition 3obok3 is often a
etter choice it is a it more universal. )ttention2: 3obok3 is always followed y words in genitive (d()2
3tu, obok3 means that the distance is really small. Cook at these e*amples:
/zklanka stoi przy talerzu (d6). A/The glass is standing right ne8t to a/the plate.
1the nominati*e ; 2talerz2 1masc.44
/zklanka stoi (tu-) obok talerza (d2). 11nearly4 the same meaning4
Da z"jciu (d6) stoj przy moim kole"ze (d6).
In the photo- Im standing right ne8t to my (male) !riend.
1the nominati*es ; 2zdj=cie2 1neut.48 21mBj4 kolega2 1masc.4 Ofemale friend is
21moja4 koleManka2P5
2zdj=cie2 in the locati*e is dictated by the preposition 2na2 1ob*iously8 the
picture is not a goal of any mo*ement8 so the preposition 2na2 operates in its
2pri!ary rekcja2 here44
Da z"jciu (d6) stoj (tu-) obok mojego kolegi (d2). 11nearly4 the same meaning4
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>>> d4. the vocative (woacz)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The vocative is a very special case with an e*tremely limited use. "t's sole role is to mark the person(s) or
thing(s) eing directly addressed y the speaker when the speaker wants to call them& call their attention&
summon them for witness or for help (like in e*clamations: 3.od=3& 3.od, ###3& 3.ood heaens=3& etc.)& or
when the speaker needs to make it clear that the message of the sentence is directed to them& or that the
actual o!ect of it is them.
-*amples:
1amo (d+)2 c%o"+ tu na c%wil. ,om- come here !or a minute. &imperative$ Andpsing)
1the nominati*e ; 2mama2 1fem.44
Die2 tatusiu (d+)2 "zi nie "am ra"y przyjec%a,.
<o- daddy- I wont be able to come over today.
1the nominati*e ; 2tatuL2 1masc.8 dimuniti*e of 2tato2/2tata2 1two alternati*e
nominati*e forms45
side?note: 2nie !a ra!y ((z&robi czego)&2 6 collo9uial: to be not able to
do+accomplish something, to hae no possiblity+conditions to do+accomplish something4
Powie"z mi (d$) praw" (d4)2 'niu (d+). Tell me the truth- Ann.
1the nominati*e ; 2ja2 1pers.pron.48 2prawda2 1fem.48
2>nia2 1feminine first name44
'c%2 ty nie"obry kocie (d+)7 Ah- you bad cat2
1the nominati*e ; 21niedobry4 kot2 1masc.4
the 2ty2 is facultati*e8 but a 2ty2 12wy2 ? when adressing a group4 placed
before a *ocati*e adds an e+tra emotional 9uality to an e+clamation44
(10j) .o-e (d+)2 to straszne7 (,y) @od- this 'is' terrible2
1the nominati*e ; 21mBj4 'Bg2 1masc.45
in sentences corresponding to those in :nglish which start 2&his is ###28 the 2is2
12jest24 would usually be dropped8 especially if what follows is a bare
adjecti*e 1or ad*erb45 if the complement is a substanti*e8 it comes in the
nominati*e8 so we ha*e8 e.g.8 27o (jest& m-j pok-j (!E& 2 12This is !y roo!.248
no matter the presence or absence of the 2jest2 there: notice that this is only
so for sentences 1clauses4 starting with the demonstrati*e 2to2 6 sentences with
a regular subject take the complement of 2jest2 in the instrumental: 2Janek jest
#o$ry! #zieckie! (d.) .2 12Johnny is a "oo# chil#.248 or8 alternati*ely8 they use
a 2to2 in a linking?*erb function and then we neither ha*e the 2jest2 or any
inflection for the predictate: 2Janek "o #o$re #ziecko (d.) .25 73*e been ranting
about the two ways of saying 2'somebody+something( is 'somebody+something else(2 more
e+tensi*ely at two different occasions earlier on :44
1atko .oska (d+)7 (9h-) ,other o! @od2 *literally6 1ivine ,other+
1the nominati*e ; 2Matka 'oska2 1fem.44
!acku (d+)7 J%o"+ na obia"7 ?ack2 Dome !or dinner2
*in $nglish you would rather shout6 7...- dinners ready27+
1the nominati*e ; 2Iacek2 1personal name44
*ap&acisz mi za to2 "raniu (d+)7 #ou will pay me !or that- you scoundrel2
1the nominati*e ; 2dra\2 1masc.44
...for other kind epithets that you may give to people that you're particularly fond of& and for their vocative
forms& contact your local Polish teacher $))
... oh& all right& maye !ust one more :) :
Sotrze (d+)2 "laczego to zrobi&eF7 %hy did you do that- you rascal32
1the nominati*e ; 2<otr2 1masc.45 it deser*es a mention that in the Polish of
today 2otr2 is mostly used with well?meaning attitude and a humouros intent:
the word doesn3t isn3t really offensi*e5 it3s not something you would say if you
were angry with somebody in earnest: 2dra\2 6 e*en though it3s 9uite mild8 too 6
would be much better in those situations4
"t is worth noting that:
a) although every noun has a vocative form& inanimate o!ects (shoes& doors& spoons& walls& etc.) are very
rarely addressed directly this usually happens in fairy(tales or if the speaker is a child: children sometimes
personalize o!ects when they are causing them troule& making them angry& etc.
) for all practical purposes& the nominative is used instead of the vocative when addressing people y their
surnames. ) thing for you to rememer that e*cept for special environments& like the army or the school& it is
really uncommon to call people y their are surnames: under most other circumstances& doing that is
considered very rude. The typical form of address etween adults who are not on first(name terms is to add
one of the conventional titles of respect efore the uniflected surname$ these titles are 30an3 (3>r#3)& 30ani3
(3>s#3)& and 30aBstwo" (">r# and >s#3 referring collectively to a married couple) in vocative& they
are: "0anie", "0ani"& and "0aBstwo"& respectively. -*amples:
3Panie $iniewski2 ...3 (7,r. %iFniewski- ...7)
3Pani Dowak73 (7,rs. <owak27)
3Panie Kowalski73 (7,r. =owalski27)
3Pani Kowalska2 ...3 (7,s. =owalski- ...7)
3PaHstwo Dowakowie2 ...3 (7,r. and ,rs. <owak- ...7)
3PaHstwo Kowalscy73 (31r. an" 1rs. Kowalski73)
Cet me remind you once more: the surnames aove are all in the nominative. The variation of forms reflects
only the necessity to stay in agreement aout the gender and numer. )nd one more thing (as often: not
'uite pertinent to our main preoccupation with the vocative here $)) what "'ve !ust shown you are e*amples
of the typical forms of address for the situations where you would hae a need to call up people's surnames.
"t is worth noting& however& that such need would& under normal circumstances& occur only a few times in the
course of an e*changeEconversation (for e*ample& at the times of saying hello and goodye). 9uring the
conversation itself& unless there might e a dout as to who you are addressing& you would !ust start the
sentences with one of these polite sentence(openings:
3Prosz Pana2 ...3 (when addressing a man)
3Prosz Pani2 ...3 (when addressing a woman)
3Prosz PaHstwa2 ...3 (when addressing any mi*ed group of people& starting from a pair a married
couple or two totally unrelated people of different se*es ending with crowds on pulic meetings)
... yes& " guess that what "'ve said right aove oliges me to complete the range with the forms used in
addressing groups made up solely of men or solely of women. 4ere they are:
3Prosz Pan0w2 ...3 or !ust 3Panowie2 ...3 (when addressing two or more men)
3Prosz PaH2 ...3 (when addressing two or more women)
These same five phrases would also e used when calling out or addressing adults whose name you don't
know.
c) the use of the vocative with first names: it is growing increasingly more common for native Polish speakers
to employ the nominative rather than the vocative form in situations of calling out to another person (across
the street& from the window of a train& etc.)& calling them up (to make them come near)& or calling their name
to get their attention i.e.& in those instances where you would normally make a pause after saying that first
name. Thus& you would usually hear people call:
3.artek7 (d1)3 instead of 3.artku7 (d+)3
31arek7 (d1)3 instead of 31arku7 (d+)3
3Krzysiek (d1)73 instead of 3Krzyku7 (d+)3
1ou would also hear people speak this way:
31arek (d1)2 mam Ji co "o powie"zenia.3 (,ark- Ive got something to tell you.)
in utterances like those we can assume that there is a little pause made etween the name eing called and
the rest of the sentence that follows (so& actually& a etter way to transcrie the last sentence would proaly
e 31arek7 1am Ji (...)3).
"n informal& everyday language& this usage is acceptale (and practiced y nearly everyody) for situations
where we need to call someody's attention& so that we can e sure they will listen to what we say.
4owever& when the personal address (made through the use of someody's first name) is not so much aimed
at calling a person's attention (ecause they are already listening to you)& ut rather at showing them that
what you say is directed to them in a personal way especially when it's accompanied y an emotional
involvement of the speaker (all kinds of declarations& apologies& promises& re'uests& etc.) then you would
always prefer the vocative:
1arku (d+)2 musz Ji si "o czego przyzna,.
,ark- I must con!ess something to you / admit to having done something wrong.
!acku (d+)2 przepraszam... ?ack- Im sorry...
... and... at this point "'m sorry& too... ecause there's one more complication " want to ring in. " think you
may find the thing interesting& though (... otherwise " wouldn't e writing aout it :)))
"ntroduction (... a longer one :) Polish first names and their pet forms :
Pn Polis%2 Lor many Lirst names t%ere eKist two or more popular pet Lorms2 eac% carrying a "iLLerent "egree
oL aLLection an" being most suitable to a speciLic occasion4relations%ip.
TKamples6
T%e name 3'nna3 can take t%e Lollowing pet Lorms6
?. 3'nia3 (t%e most popular one6 bot% nice2 an" kin"2 an" Lrien"ly2 an" warm but not to t%e point oL
creating an intimacy)2
B. 3'nka3 (a 3brot%erly3 Lorm6 a goo" one Lor eMery"ay use among Lrien"s an" wit% t%e Lamily 3low on
sugar3 an" Uuite Lamiliar at t%e same time (spoken by a person w%o is not a goo" ol" Lrien" t%is one
woul" soun" a little ru"e))2
V. 3'neczka3 (rare2 cute an" a little ol" Las%ione"2 t%is Lorm is somet%ing t%at parents an"2 especially2
gran"parents mig%t use)2
W. 3'nusia3 (Uuite ten"er2 Lor people t%at are really close)
Qet=s take 3KrzysztoL3 nowO it %as just two popular pet Lorms6
?. 3Krzysiek3 (t%e Lorm Lor eMerybo"y w%o is in any "egree oL Lamiliarity wit% t%e guy)2
B. 3Krzy3 (t%at way you woul" call a little boy2 so in a grownAup men t%is Lorm oL a""ress means
sweetness)
'not%er name 3!aros&aw36
?. 3Darek3 (t%e same t%ing as wit% 3Krzysiek3)2
B. 3Daru3 (same as wit% 3Krzy3)2
V. 3Dareczek3 (somet%ing pretty muc% like 3'neczka3)
'n" one more eKample6
Xow about... let=s see...31a&gorzata3F T%is is a goo" one2 because t%ere=s Uuite a lot oL pet Lorm Lor it6
?. 3Eosia3 (t%is is like 3'nia36 a rat%er cute Lorm an" a Lairly sweet one2 but at t%e same time t%at=s t%e
one w%ic% is most popular an" t%e one to use Lor eMeryone t%at is at any "egree oL Lamiliarity wit% t%e
nameAbearer)2
B. 3Eoka3 (like wit% 3'nka32 but per%aps just Lor me it soun"s eMen more brusUue6 not too kin" at all
an" really 3low on sugar36 in practice2 only to be use" in situations w%ere you %aMe reasons to be a bit
miLLe" wit% t%at personO close Lrien"s mig%t also be accepte" in using t%at one6 eKactly as a Lorm oL
s%owing t%e closeness oL relations%ip allowing Lor a little bit oL (aLLecte") roug%ness)2
V. 3EosieHka3 (really sweet2 "imunitiMe an" sort oL 3in LamilyAmo"e36 to be use" by Lamily an" maybe a
boyLrien" (but a longAtime one2 rat%er t%an a Lres% one O))2
W. 3Eosiunia3 (sweet an" ingratiating6 almost entirely reserMe" Lor new boyLrien"s (unless t%e particular
3Eosiunia3 %ates t%e assAkisser type 6))2
W. 3Eoc%a3 (... soun"s %eaMy2 "oesn=t itF 6) well2 so it is7 t%is one is practically reserMe" Lor t%e ol"Atime
goo" Lemale Lrien"sO it=s not really cute2 but Mery warm all t%e same6 in a roug%2 3comra"ely3 kin" oL way)2
Y. 31a&gosia3 (t%is one is Uuite interestingO practically2 it can be use" like 3Eosia32 but it seems more
elegant (wit% less oL t%e Lamiliar cor"iality)... an" yet a bit cuter at t%e same time)
#K enoug%7 6)) (...w%ic% rea"s6 en" oL t%e terribly long intro"uction 6D)
,hy am " telling you aout all thatA ... " don't know proaly& " !ust like to ramle $))
)nd now seriously: for one thing& " wanted to show you a few pet(name forms and get you ac'uainted with
the fact that there are differences etween them$ and for the second& ... yes& " wanted to make a point aout
the vocative for the pet names and first names in general$
..the point is:
some name*forms sound better in the true ocatie, and some hae an affinity to the nominatie#
" can imagine what you're thinking :) ,ell& yes... it's one of those things you've got to ac'uire an ear for
the language... ut there are some practical clues:
a) long names sound even more pretentious when they come in their vocative form (3#art7omie!u23 pfffff2
hahaha2 :)) : it's est to avoid using them in the unshortened form anyway (" mean: it's etter to use the pet
forms)& e*cept in formal situations. ()s a general rule& eing on first(name terms with someody& you would
hardly ever use the 3official3& full form of their first name unless it's one of the few names that don't have
pet forms applicale to simple friendship or companionship& in which case you would have to stay with that
asic& main form: 3Iobert32 3Karol32 31arek32 3!acek3& etc.$ with the ma!ority of names& however& it is possile
to find a proper pet variant& and then the 3official3 form would only come into play in some particularly
serious conversations.)
) the 3rough3 and 3a little rough3 pet names (= 3'nka32 3Eoka32 3Eoc%a3) always come with the vocative
identical to the nominative 4))))
c) the very cute forms always have a special vocative (different from the nominative)& and the use of that
vocative is usually strongly preferred to the use of the nominative... so& even when !ust calling out to
someody at a distance& or trying to make someody look somewhere& you would always tend to say
3'neczko732 3'nusiu732 3Krzysiu732 3!arusiu732 3!areczku732 3EosieHko732 3Eosiuniu732 31a&gosiu73& etc.
d) for the pet names that are in the 3middle area of sweetness3& oth the special vocative and the nominative
usually sound /O: a ig degree of individual preference applies there& so " would personally call: 3'niu73
(d+)2 3Krzysiek73 (d1)2 3!arek73 (d1)2 3Eosia73 (d1) (while the correct vocatives would e: 3'niu73 (d+)2
3Krzyku73 (d+)2 3!arku73 (d+)2 3Eosiu73 (d+))
#ut C-T 0- 0)O- "T 5-61 XC-)6 ()): what "'m talking aout here is the collo'uial use. )t school they
would teach you that you should )C,)1+ use the proper vocative form of the first names in all the situations
of direct personal address no matter if you call people from a distance& or !ust using their names to make
the message feel more personal$ no matter if you make a pause or not. +o& in theory& only my point 3)3 aove
relates to formalized& regulated usage: ecause& indeed& those 3rough3 pet names have the vocative form
identical to the nominative.
YYY
)nd since we're already almost e*haustive aout the vocative for names $) let me inform you aout a
characteristic form of personal address in Polish& one that is used a lot here. That form is:
3Panie (d+)4Pani (d+) Z the vocative (d4) o! !irst name or o! a pet !orm o! a !irst name3
(this form applies only to >nd person singular address$ let me remind you that the nominative of
"0anie"(d4) is 30an3 (masc.'d1)& and the nominative of "0ani"(d4) is 30ani3 (,em.'d1)& and that
those words correspond to -nglish 3)r#3 and 3)s#3& respectively)
This manner of address is very popular among people of the older generations& in which going on first(name
terms was reserved to relationships of close friendship (and even then& usually for the friendships made
efore reaching @?(@U years of age). Poles who are under B? today tend to shorten the interpersonal distance
and get on first name terms with most people of aout e'ual age as soon as they get 'uite familiar with them.
4owever& this 3courteous3 form of first(name address would still e used a lot even y them: it is the natural
choice when talking to a person who is significantly older than you& or with people who you meet often and
with whom you are friendly ut not close enough to !ustify the use of the first(name alone: some of your
neighours& shop(assistants& etc. This is also a very fre'uently used form in workplace environments
especially y osses speaking to their suordinates.
#oth the regular first(name form and the pet forms can e comined with 3Pan (dG)EPani (dG)3 (which in
vocative turns to 3Panie (dG)EPani (dG)3)& offering a wide palette of forms of address to suit different forms of
relationship and different degrees of reverence due. Hor e*ample& you would proaly not go eyond the
regular first name when addressing people your senior y >? years or more. )t the other end of the scale&
some osses would have a hait of calling their suordinates y this formula and using one of the cuter pet
forms with it: an element of conduct which can e taken as oth a way of fraternizing and a show of their
superiority (ecause those pet forms would naturally ring up connotations with parents(children
relationship).
)n important thing to rememer is that this formula of address re9uires that the first name or the pet name
would always be in the ocatie ()).
Cet's have a few e*amples:
3Panie (d+) 1arku (d+)2 ...3 (!or 31arek (d1)3- a masculine !irst name)-
3Panie (d+) 1areczku (d+)2 ...3 (31areczek (d1)3 is a pet.!orm o! the name above- mostly
used with little boys - so this utterance would probably be the start o! a re(uest being made by ,areks
boss)
3Pani (d+) 'nno(d+)7 3 (!or 3'nna (d1)3- !eminine)
3Pani (d+) 'niu(d+)73 (that ones warmer- because 3'nia (d1)3 is a pet !orm o! 7Anna7; this way
you could address a neighbour or a notably older !riend)
3Pani (d+) 'nusiu(d+)73 (thats vocative o! the cute pet !orm o! 3'nna36 3'nusia (d1)3; we can
assume that it is Annas creepy boss speaking ;))
3Pani (d+) 1a&gorzato (d+)2 ...3 (sounds very decorous- but this one would probably be the most
!itting when addressing an elderly lady by the name o! 31a&gorzata (d1)3)
3Pani (d+) Eosiu (d+)73 (!or all occasions where the level o! reverence need not be (uite as high; the
nominative 5 3Eosia (d1)3)
3Pani (d+) 1a&gosiu (d+)2 ...3 (!rom the pet !orm 31a&gosia (d1)3 that one would probably be !avoured
by the bosses... e8cept !or the most cheeky ones who could go !urther than that and say6
3Pani (d+) EosieHko (d+)2 ...3)
... " imagine that would do for now $)))... ut in case you'd like to have even more information (22A2 $)) aout
the vocative& you can look in here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/^ocati*e@Polish
(recommended if you want to see a few moderately offensive epithets that you can give to people ehaving
stupidly :))
...
)nd on this very personal note we end the little ooklet on Polish declension :))
" hope you have found it at least a little it useful :)
Cet me apologize once again for my propensity to overload the e*plaining te*t to the e*amples with
information not pertinent to what those e*amples are meant to illustrate. " know it's something that proaly
makes the ooklet less clear than it might (or should) e& and " realize that it may e making it a little
confusing in places... " can only hope that it's not something too discouraging. "t has certainly not een my
plan to overwhelm you. " !ust wanted you to e ale to fully understand the e*ample sentences and to follow
their structures and wording. " guess " was also acting on the notion that " cant't e sure when (or even if)
there are going to e any follow(ups to this ooklet& so " wanted to smuggle in a few e*tra topics of Polish
grammar and usage (however superficially treated). Cast of all& "'m not a professional& " was improvising all
the way& "'ve had no set methodology or terminology: if " sin additionally aout the composition& " can say "
have een already culpale anyway.
" also would like to thank my friend 6ummenigge& who's waited long for the ooklet to finally take shape&
continuously providing me with motivation to finish it& and 0anuela& who gave me the inspiration to set
aout it at all.
)s said earlier& "'m not sure aout how much time and effort " will e ale to afford to work of this type in
the future& ut " surely would love to have my share in popularizing Polish language and culture. Therefore& if
you have ideas for su!ects related to Polish language that you would like to see covered in a similar fashion&
if there is something you couldn't yet find well(e*plained (and so& you would like to see an amateur tinkerer
like me dale in e*plaining :))& you can always try your powers of inciting to action y writing at:
soarsoZgazeta.pl
%ntil ne*t time& it's arsorro signing off :)
78tended a((endi86 3declension 9uestions3
... +o... this is yet not 'uite the end of this ooklet... :) There's still one thing aout the declension that can
prove important and useful. "'m talking aout something that "'m going to call 3declension 9uestions3.
The thing is that for every sentence you can make 'uestion sentences in'uiring aout any sustantive in that
sentence...
Cet's have an e*ample in -nglish:
31anuela eats "inner at %ome at eig%t o=clock2 using a Lork an" a kniLe.3
)nd here's a volley of 'uestions targeting each individual word in the sentence:
3$%o eats "inner at %ome at eig%t (...)F3
3$%at "oes 1anuela eat at eig%tF3
3$%ere "oes 1anuela eat "innerF3
3$%at time "oes 1anuela eat "innerF3
3$%at "oes 1anuela eat t%e "inner wit%F3
+o& /O... in -nglish it's all pretty straightforward$ even though at that last 'uestion we actually have a little
complication: we need to ask 3$%at wit%...3 and -nglish synta* wants us to put that 3wit%3 at the end of the
sentence.
.ow let's take a Polish sentence:
3:anuela (d1) da,a $si&*$; (d4) " cie$a%)mi "adaniami (d5)
$oled"e (d$) s%o+ego $u")na (d2) do#remu % matemat)ce (d6)<3
1the nominati*es: 2ksiRMka2 1fem.48
21ciekawe4 zadania2 1plural4 ( 21ciekawe4 zadanie2 1sing.8neut.8d,48
2kolega2 1masc.48 21swBj/jej4 kuzyn2 1masc.48 2matematyka2 1fem.44
" eg you take heart2 :) This sentence is& indeed& a little intricate& ut it is so on purpose (... which means we
have the things firmly under control :)): " wanted to have a single sentence that would feature sustantives
appearing in as many declension cases as possile. )nd " succeeded in making one that has a sustantive for
every declension case (save for the vocative)2 :)
,hat do " need that forA ,ell& ecause what we have done with the -nglish sentence aove we should e ale
to do with the Polish one& rightA :) +o& we're going to that& and this will help us make an oservation.
#ut first& let's translate that sentence to -nglish& so that we know e*actly what we're talking aout $)
3:anuela gave a #oo$ %it! interesting (mat!ematical) (ro#lems
to a =riend o= !er cousin (%!o is) good at mat!s<3
Owe will use the translation abo*e8 although it must be noted that:
? in :nglish it would be better to say 3...a book oL interesting...38 because 73*e
been thinking here of a book of e+ercises that is all a collection of
mathematical problems to sol*e: a sentence using 2wit%2 seems to suggest that in
the whole book there may be just a few mathematical problems5
? 2... "obremu w ... / ... good at ...2 [ the Polish preposition 2w2 in most
situations corresponds to the :nglish 2in25 howe*er8 you know it well that the
prepositions don3t ha*e direct analogues and that their translation always
depends on the conte+tP
/O... and now& since the sentence are fairly similar in synta*& we will try making the 'uestions in a parallel
manner S in -nglish and in Polish.
Cet's put the sentence in oth the languages here for easy reference:
3:anuela (d1) da,a $si&*$; (d4) " cie$a%)mi "adaniami (d5)
$oled"e (d$) s%o+ego $u")na (d2) do#remu % matemat)ce (d6)<3
3:anuela gave a #oo$ %it! interesting (mat!ematical) (ro#lems
to a =riend o= !er cousin (%!o is) good at mat!s<3
([?[) a Uuestion about 1anuela 6)
( t%e interrogatiMe pronouns to ask about t%e nominatiMe (d1)6
3kto 2 / co 23 >w%oF 4w%atF@ )
3$%o gaMe t%e bookF3
3@to (d1) !a ksi,k (d4)23
$e are asking about t%e subject oL t%e sentence (notice t%at in Tnglis% Uuestions about
subjects %aMe a "iLLerent syntaK to ot%er Uuestions we ask 3$%o gaMe t%e bookF32 D#T6 3$%o
"i" giMe t%e bookF3)...
... an" our Lirst interrogatiMe Lor t%e subject w%ic% also means6 our Lirst Uuestion wor" in t%e
nominatiMe. 3@to 3. T%is one is Lor people.
)or objects2 t%e interrogatiMe wor" in t%e nominatiMe is 3co3 (7what7).
37ruskawka (d1) jest so!ka.3 (A strawberry is sweet.)
33o (d1) jest so!kie23 ($%at is sweetF)
$%at P want you to notice now t%at t%e Uuestion wor"s %aMe gen"ers (w%ic% practically make
"iLLerence in Uuestions Lor t%e subjectO in interrogatiMes applie" to ot%er cases2 t%e
interrogatiMe gen"er %ar"ly comes into play2 as you will see Lor yourselMes). T%e interrogatiMe
applicable to %umans2 3@to (d1)32 is masculine (...yea%2 it=s a mac%o worl"2 but it wasn=t me
w%o inMente" t%ese rules7 6)) t%at=s w%y we %aMe 3@to !a...232 an" D#T 3@to !aa...23
or "@to !ao...23 it is 'Q$'\/ 3@to !a...36 t%e masculine Merb LormO an" it "oesn=t
matter iL t%e person asking t%e Uuestion can guess t%e gen"er oL t%at subject or not t%e
person asking must treat t%e wor" 3kto3 like a masculine nounO anot%er eKample6 t%e Uuestion
3%ho is the best at maths here33 will always translate to 3@to jest tutaj najlepszy z
matematyki23 (... an" D#T6 3... najlepsza ...3 (Leminine a"jectiMe Mariant) or 3... najlepsze ...3
(neuter a"jectiMe Mariant) ) ]eMen iL aske" to a group absolutely "ominate" by women2 or to
one consisting entirely oL girls or women.
/imilarly wit% 3co3 t%e "iLLerence being t%at 3co3 is 'Q$'\/ neuterO t%at=s w%y we %aMe 33o
jest so!kieF3 an" D#T6 3... so!ki ...3 (masc.a"j.) or 3... so!ka ...3 (Lem.a"j.)O to
"emonstrate %ow it works wit% a Merb2 let=s take a sentence6 33o stao na stole23 (7%hat
stood on the table37) >only t%e past tense s%ows t%e "iLLerence@6 you can see t%at it=s not 3...
staF3 or 3... staaF3 ]suc% Lorms woul" always be inMali".
To sum up6 t%ere are two interrogatiMes t%at yiel" in answer a substantiMe in t%e nominatiMe...
(***1) <<< t!ose t%o 9uestion %ords are6 3kto 3 and 3co3
an" it=s wort% remembering t%at w%en using t%em t%at is6 w%en asking Uuestions about
t%e subject (7%ho/%hat does/did/will do sth...372 7%ho/%hat is/was/will be sth...372 etc.) we
%aMe to treat t%e 3kto3 as a masculine pronoun2 an" t%e 3co3 as a neuter pronoun.
([B[) a Uuestion about t%e book
( t%e interrogatiMe pronouns to ask about objects in t%e accusatiMe (d4)6
3kog o2 / c o23 >w%oF 4w%atF@ )
#K2 let=s t%ink oL anot%er Uuestion... Pn our sentence we %aMe
3(anuela (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4) (...)3 (7,anuela gave a book (...)7). /o2 let=s ask6
3%hat did ,anuela give (to the !riend o! ... bla bla bla)33
in Polis%6
33o (d4) (anuela (d1) !aa (kole!ze ... it!.&23
/o... Pt looks simple enoug%2 practically like in Tnglis%. 'n" it is7 ... 'lmost 6)... .ecause..
w%y "i" P write t%e 3(d4)3 neKt to t%is 3co3F To remin" you t%at t%is 3co3 %ere is asking about
t%e "irect object oL t%e sentence2 about t%e "irect object complement oL t%e Merb 3!awa3
(w%ic% presents t%e stan"ar" goMernment Lor t%e t%e accusatiMe 3!awa kogo)/co) (d4)G3)
... $ait2 wait2 wait7 6) XaMe you notice" somet%ingF 6)
3@+1+) / 3+)3 6 (3somebo"y 4 somet%ing3 (d4))...
...yes7 6) t%e Uuestion wor" Lor an accusatiMe object is 3co3 4 Lor t%ings2 but Lor people it=s
3kogo" (not 7kto72 w%ic% is reserMe" just Lor t%e nominatiMe2 just Lor t%e Uuestions about
subject). Qet=s make an eKemplary sentence w%ere t%e object woul" be a person6
3Dorota (d1) cauje swoj mam (d4).3 (71orota is kissing her mom.7).
>71orota7 is t%e subject oL t%e action2 s%e=s playing t%e lea" part 6)2 7mama7 is 3just3 t%e
object2 t%e one w%o %as to submit %erselL to t%e kissing (w%et%er s%e wants it or not O))O t%e
Merb 3caowa3 %as a stan"ar" rekc&a Lor t%e accusatiMe@
Dow2 t%e Uuestion about t%e object6 7%ho is 1orota kissing372 looks like t%is6
3@ogo (d4) cauje Dorota (d1)23
Jan P be allowe" a little "igressionF 6)6
notice t%at %aMing a special Uuestion wor" Lor object is not merely a stupi" complication it can be
pretty useLul. Qet=s imagine a situation w%ere a person ' is telling a person . t%e story oL a moMie. .ut '
isn=t Mery goo" at telling t%ings2 so t%e . soon gets Mery conLuse" about all t%e c%aracters. 't some point
in t%e story ' s%outs eKite"ly6
35 wte!y on j pocaowa.3 7And at that moment he kissed her27
Dow2 let=s imagine t%at t%e . was able to Lollow t%e story tol" by t%e ' to t%e eKtent t%at . knows w%o t%e
man in t%at sentence aboMe is. T%e t%ing t%at remains a mystery to . is w%o t%e girl t%at was kisse" in
t%e moMie was. Pn Tnglis%2 . %as to ask6
7/e kissed who37
Pn Polis% just6 "@ogo2"
/imilarly2 iL it was t%e man=s (t%e 3actiMeAkisser=s3 O)) i"entity t%at was t%e ri""le Lor .2 in Tnglis% t%e .
woul" %aMe to ask6
7%ho kissed her37
Pn Polis% usually it s%oul" suLLice just to say6 "@to2"
t%e "igression en"s %ere 6)
>ummar) 6 t%e interrogatiMe pronouns Lor accusatiMe objects are
(***2) 3kogo3, 3co3
si"eAnote6 Een"ers also eKist %ere2 but t%ey come into play only iL2 Lor w%ateMer reason2 you=" %aMe to
a"" an a"jectiMe to t%e interrogatiMe pronounO t%ere is Uuite rarely nee" Lor t%is.
"@ogo koc"anego cauje Dorota2" (t%e Tnglis% translation cannot be Uuite literal2 it woul" be
somet%ing like6 7%hat beloved person is 1orota kissing37) 3koc"anego3 = t%e accusatiMe oL 3koc"any3
(a"jectiMe in t%e masculine Lorm)
/imilarly6
"3o a!nego !ostanie Fn!rzej2" (again2 t%e "iLLerence an" limitations oL Tnglis% grammar enLorce a
muc% c%ange" sentence construction to carry t%e meaning...6 7%hat will be the nice thing that Andr)e&
will get37) 3a!nego3 = t%e accusatiMe oL 3a!ny3 (a"j. in t%e neuter Lorm)
... you woul" %aMe notice"2 %oweMer2 t%at in t%e accusatiMe t%e masculine an" t%e neuter Lorms oL an
a"jectiMe look t%e same.)
([V[) a Uuestion about t%e book=s contents O)
( t%e interrogatiMe pronouns to ask about a substantiMe in t%e instrumental (d.)6
3(z& ki m2 / ( z& czy m23 >(wit%) w%oF 4 (wit%) w%atF@ )
1oMing on in our sentence we come to t%is point6
3(anuela (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4) z ciekawymi za!aniami (d5) (kole!ze (d$)...&3
7,anuela gave a book with interesting (mathematical) problems (to a !riend...)7
$e %aMe alrea"y "ealt wit% t%e 1anuela... O) ... an" wit% t%e book... .ut2 P claime" t%at a
Uuestion can be ma"e about eMery substantiMe in t%e sentence2 rig%tF 6) Qet=s t%en now try to
make a Uuestion about t%e 3z (ciekawymi& za!aniami3 7with (interesting) problems7
element oL t%e sentence.
!ust to %aMe it a little easier to make Uuestions let=s substantiate t%e 3Lrien"3 wit% a pronoun
an" make a little reor"ering. T%is "oesn=t in any way aLLect t%e element t%at we=re intereste" in
rig%t now.
3(anuela (d1) !aa (G (d$) ksi,k (d4) z ciekawymi za!aniami (d5).3
3,anuela gave /I, a book with interesting (mathematical) problems.3
... 'n" now Lor a moment oL Lrankness6 simple grammatical transLormations will not lea" us to
particularly natural2 clear an" precise Uuestions %ere eit%er in Tnglis% or in Polis%. .ut we=ll
try to arriMe at somet%ing t%at will be correct an" t%at will let us %aMe somet%ing
"emonstrate"... #K6 no mysteries t%is 7something7 is going to be t%e interrogatiMe pronouns
to use in asking about t%ose substantiMes in a sentence t%at come in t%e instrumental 6)
$%y "o P say t%at t%e Uuestion sentences ma"e by a simple transLormation are less t%an
perLectF .ecause2 in Tnglis%2 iL we make a sentence like t%is6
7%hat did ,anuela give him a book with37
t%en we get into a big conLusion2 since t%e most obMious un"erstan"ing oL it woul" probably
be6 7Hsing what did ,anuela give him the book372 an" we Leel like s%outing in response6 7%ith
her hands- o! course27 6D
XoweMer2 iL we c%ange 7a book with mathematical problems7 Lor 7a book o! mathematical
problems72 an" t%en ask6
7%hat did ,anuela give him a book o!37
t%en t%at is Lairly uneUuiMocal. (oL course6 Lor t%e maKimum clarity an" ease oL
communication2 we woul" rat%er say somet%ing like6 3$%at was in t%e book t%at 1anuela gaMe
%imF32 but t%is is a rep%rasing t%at takes too Lar away Lrom t%e t%e syntaK oL our eKamplary
sentence %ere).
.ut we=re still going to %aMe a little issue %ere... /ee2 t%e elegant Tnglis% syntaK is not Mery
straig%tLorwar". Xere=s w%at P mean6 accor"ing to t%e canons oL proper Tnglis% syntaK2 t%e
interrogatiMe 7what7 must come in t%e beginning2 w%ile t%e secon" component oL an
3interrogatiMe p%rase3 (P=m talking oL t%e interrogatiMes oL t%is kin"6 79! what...7- 7%ith what...7-
7About what...7- 79n what...72 etc.) is suppose" to lan" at t%e Mery en" oL t%e sentenceO w%ic%
results in Uuestion sentences looking like t%is6 7%hat is it made o!37- 7%hat are you thinking
about37- 7%hat will you do it with37- 7%hat did you insist on372 etc.
)ortunately2 t%ere is a way out we can rep%rase our Uuestion in a way t%at woul" be less
elegant (yet still correct)2 but closer to t%e Polis% syntaK. Xere=s our mo"iLie" Uuestion6
7A book o! what did ,anuela give him372
... an" now2 we can eMen make it6
7A book with what did ,anuela give him37
... an" not run into t%e Lormer trap oL ambiguity.
Qet me translate t%e last one into Polis% now6
3@si,k (d4) z czym (d5) !aa mu (anuela (d1)23
1ake no mistake t%is is still a sentence (a Uuestion sentence) in w%ic% t%e subject is
1anuela6 t%e Merb is 3!aa3 (3s%e gaMe3) an" t%e perLormer oL t%is action is t%e person4t%ing
w%o gaMe A t%e 3giMer3 ] %ere2 t%at is clearly 31anuela3. T%at=s w%y 31anuela3 stays in t%e
nominatiMe 1d,4 (nominatiMe ^ subject oL t%e sentence)2 an" t%e 3book3 t%at lies aL t%e
beginning oL t%e sentence2 being all t%e time t%e object oL it (t%e "irect object oL t%e Merb
3!awa 1r-43)2 is in t%e accusatiMe (3ksi,k3). Pt "oesn=t matter muc% w%at position in t%e
wor" or"er t%e wor" 3ksi,k3 will occupy6 because oL t%e "eclension2 t%e role oL eac%
substantiMe in t%e sentence is "emonstrate" Uuite clearly by its Lorm (t%e Lorm "epen"ant on
t%e "eclension case it is in) ] t%us2 its location in t%e sentence "oesn=t %aMe all t%at muc%
signiLicance (but2 oL course2 it is not completely Lree eit%er)... /peaking oL wor" or"er2 our
Uuestion in Polis% woul" actually look nicer an" more natural t%is way6
3H czym (d5) ksi,k (d4) !aa mu (d$) (anuela (d1)23
$%y is it more naturalF well2 t%at=s pretty simple6 t%e actual Uuestion p%rase (3H czym...3)
looks best at t%e Mery beginning oL a sentence.
'n" now well2 we %aMe t%e Uuestion p%rase7 'n" in it6 our seeke" interrogatiMe pronoun7 6)
T%is is w%at we=Me been aiming Lor2 rig%tF 6)
3H czym (d5)...3 _ 7%ith what...7 w%ic% means t%at t%e interrogatiMe pronoun to ask about
substantiMes in t%e instrumental is 3 czy m 36 w%en w%at we=re asking about is a t%ing.
Jan t%ere be a situation in w%ic% we woul" %aMe to make a Uuestion about a part oL a
sentence in t%e instrumental2 w%ere t%at part oL a sentence woul" be a personF
#L course2 t%ere can7 Qook at our eKample Uuestion about t%e book6
3H (%.) czym (d.) ksi,k (...)3.
$%y "i" P put t%e 31r-43 aLter t%e 3z3F because iL 3z3 means 7with7... `
4...remin"er6 3z/ze3 can also mean 7!rom7 or 7out o!72
an" t%en it comes wit% t%e genitiMe6 look into
t%e section on t%e genitiMe in t%e Lirst part
oL t%e booklet Lor more "etails...4
` ... t%en it is 'Q$'\/ Lollowe" by a wor" in t%e instrumentalO in ot%er wor"s6 t%e preposition
3z3 in t%e Lunction oL t%e Tnglis% 7with7 s%ows a constant case goMernment Lor t%e instrumental
1r"4.
'n" we oLten "o t%ings wit% ot%er people2 rig%tF O))
)or eKample6
3Jzsto ogl("am (r4) telewizj (d4) razem z (rC) bratem (d5).3
7I o!ten watch television together with 'my' brother7.
1the *erb 2ogl!a2 has the standard rekcja 1for the accusati*e 1d-445
the nominati*es ; 2telewizja2 1fem.48 2brat2 1masc.44
\ou woul" oLten say t%at as an answer to t%e Uuestion6
7%ho do you (usually) watch television with37
#K. )irst2 let=s c%ange t%e syntaK oL t%is Uuestion sentence Lrom t%e elegant to somet%ing less
stylis% but more Polis%AuserALrien"ly O) 6
7%ith whom do you (usually) watch television37
'n"2 %ey presto2 ] we=re just a tiptoe away Lrom t%e translation in Polis%7 6
3H (r5) kim (d5) (zazwyczaj& ogl!asz (r4) telewizj (d4)23
/o2 %ere we arriMe at our secon" interrogatiMe pronoun in t%e instrumental t%is time2 one
t%at is use" w%en "ealing wit% people6 3kim 3.
Dotice t%at2 alt%oug% t%e rekc&a oL t%e preposition 3z/ze3 is probably t%e most LreUuent reason
Lor t%e use oL t%e instrumental Lorm in nouns an" pronouns reLerring to people2 it is not t%e
only one possible. /ee t%e Lollowing eKamples (you may wis% to consult t%e section about t%e
instrumental in t%e Lirst part oL t%e booklet Lor t%e eKplanation oL t%e role oL t%e instrumental case in
t%ose eKamples)6
0uestion6 3@im (d5) 0an jest23 7%ho are you- (,ister)37
answer6 "4a jestem tu sze#em (d5) ." 7Im the boss here27
1here we ha*e the use of the instrumental in talking about a role in life...
speaking of which8 we can further e+ploit this function of the instrumental and
make an e+ample that would coincidentally be a serious philosophical in9uiry as
well 6) :
3@im (d5) jestemF3 7%ho am I37
1"@to (d1) ja jestem2" would sound a little clumsy5 it could also be read as a
9uestion about more elementary facts about one3s identity: name8 nationality8
etc....44
... an" t%ere is one Mery typical Uuestion about a role in liLe t%at is not so terribly p%ilosop%ic2
an" t%ereLore2 w%ic% probably eMerybo"y %ears in t%eir liLe at least once 6) (...#K2 P can now
imagine some %airAsplitting personalities argue t%at %ar"ly any guy woul" eMer %ear precisely
t%e Uuestion below2 but... P=ll leaMe it Lor your %omework to make a Mariant Lor a masculine
subject O)))6
0uestion6 3@im (d5) c"ciaa) by/zosta9 g!y bya) maa23
7%ho did you want to be/become as you were little37
answer6 3(Wte!y& c"ciaam by/zosta aktork (d5).3
7(At that time) I wanted to be/become an actress.7
T%e nee" to employ t%e instrumental Mariant oL t%e personal interrogatiMe pronoun (i.e. t%e
3kim3) can also be motiMate" by t%e use oL one oL t%e prepositions (ot%er t%an just t%e 3z/ze3
mentione" earlier) t%at aLLiliate wit% t%e instrumental6
0uestion6 3Ia! (r5) kim (d5) mieszkaszF3 7Above whom do you live37
1in other words 6 2Who is your neighbour from aboe42... actually8 this paraphrase not
only looks better in :nglish8 but8 translated8 would ha*e also looked a little
more literate in Polish5 nonetheless8 the e+ample sentence is well
understandable and *ery natural Polish as well44
answer6 3((ieszkam& na! (r5) pani (alinowsk (d5).3
7I live above ,rs. ,alinowska.7
1the nominati*e ; 2pani Malinowska24
0uestion6 3(i!zy (r5) kim (d5) a kim (d5)
stoisz na (r6) tej #otogra#ii (d6)23
7Between who and who are you standing in this photo37
(73m marking the use of the locati*e 6 d. 6 only for your full information 1it3s
conditioned by the rekcja of the preposition 2na245 the thing we3re really
interested here is the use of 2kim2 and its moti*ation4
short answer6 3(i!zy (r5) Fni (d5) a @rzy)kiem (d5) .3
7Between Ania and =r)ysiek.7
'n" let=s take one more eKample. T%is one will "emonstrate a situation in w%ic% we %aMe to use
t%e instrumental Mariant oL t%e personal interrogatiMe pronoun because t%e object oL t%e
Uuestion is a "irect object complement oL one oL t%e Mery Lew Merbs t%at goMern t%e
instrumental. T%e sentence may seem "iLLicult at t%e Lirst glance2 but you will see t%at it=s not
t%at ba" at all 6) 6
3@im (d5) ze (r2) swojej ro!ziny (d2)
najbar!ziej (adv.) lubisz si c"wali (r5) F3
&liberal translation() 7%ho out o! your !amily are you most proud o!37
12chwaliG si=2 6 to boast of, to brag about, to be proud of 1look in the section of the
instrumental4 6 is a *erb which go*erns the instrumental5 you already know that8
customarily8 2si2 is not left as the last word in longer sentences8 hence the
in*ersion of the word order to: 2... si c"wali225
the 2ze2 1*ariant of 2z24 used here is: 2out of + from2 6 this preposition go*erns
the geniti*e: that3s why 2swoja rodzina2 is put in the geniti*e in the sentence5
a more literal translation of the entire sentence would be:
"Who of your family do you most like to boast about4"4
Qet=s answer it now6
3He swojej ro!ziny najbar!ziej lubi
c"wali si (r5) moim kuzynem (irkiem (d5) .3
1the nominati*e ; 21mBj4 kuzyn Mirek2 1masc.44
'n" now2 to get a bit oL balance2 let=s make a couple oL Uuestions about instrumentals2 w%ere
t%e instrumental is a t%ing. P=ll try to be sparing wit% comments 6) 6
a6 33zym (d5) otworzysz (r4) t butelk (d4)2"
7%hat will you open this bottle with3 / %hat will you use to open this bottle37
1the nominati*e ; 21ta4 butelka2 1fem.44
'6 3+tworz (r4) j (d4) zbami (d5) 73
7Ill open it &lit( "her") with 'my' teeth27 (J%il"ren7 Don=t try t%is at %ome7 6D)
1the nominati*es: 2ona2 1pers.pron.48
2z=by2 1plural4 ( 2zRb2 1sing.8masc.8d,44
a6 33zym (d5) je!ziesz !o (r2) szkoy (d2)2"
7%hat (transport) do you go to school by37
1the nominati*e ; 2szko<a2 1fem.4 6 the geniti*e is enforced by the rekcja of
the preposition 2!o24
'6 3Futobusem (d5) 4 (etrem (d5) 4 7aks-wk (d5) 4 7ramwajem (d5) .3
7By bus / By subway / By ta8i / By tram.7
1the nominati*es ; 2autobus2 1masc.48 2metro2 1neut.48
2taksBwka2 1fem.48 2tramwaj2 1masc.44
a6 33zym (d5) ubru!zia) &6emv6orm) bluzk (d4)F3
7%hat have you soiled 'your' blouse with37
1the nominati*e ; 2bluzka2 1fem.45
remember that in the past tense 1and only in it04 we ha*e different *erb forms
for the feminine and the masculine subjects in the second grammatical person
1the 2you2 person 6 there3s no neuter gender in that person4: in this e+ample we
can see that it3s a female who is being asked 6 had the 9uestion been posed to a
male8 2ubru!zie)2 would ha*e been used... of course8 we probably wouldn3t ha*e
been speaking of a 2bluzka2 then8 but rather of a 2koszula2 1a shirt: also a
feminine noun in Polish4: 25zy! (d5) u$ru#zi*e+ koszul (d4).2 :444
'6 "(Gbru!ziam j (d4) sobie...& 6osem pomi!orowym (d5) .3
7(Ive soiled 7her7 I!or meJ...) %ith tomato sauce.7
1the nominati*e ; 2sos (noun) pomidorowy (a#j.)2 1masc.45
for the e+planation of the mysterious 2for me28 look into the point 2a42 of the
section on the instrumental in the main part of the booklet: there3s a
practically identical e+ample sentence there4
a6 33zym (d5) zarysowae) &mascv6orm) st- (d4)F3
7%hat have you scratched the table with37
1the nominati*e ; 2stB<2 1masc.44
'6 3Harysowaem &mascv6orm) go (d4) spink !o mankiet-w (d5) .3
7Ive scratched it/7him7 with a cu!!link.7
1the nominati*es ; 2on2 1pers.pron.48 2spinka 1do mankietBw42 1fem.44
a6 33zym (d5) zazwyczaj zajmujesz si (r5) po pou!niu23
7%hat do you usually do in the a!ternoon37
1look into the point 2c42 of the section on the instrumental for an e+planation
and usage e+amples of the *erb 2zajmowa si (%.)24
'6 30o pou!niu zazwyczaj suc"am (r2) muzyki (d2).3
7In the a!ternoon I usually listen to music.7
1when 23zym zajmujesz si...2 is a 9uestion about common8 e*eryday things8
rather than something serious8 it is unnatural to use the *erb 2zajmowa si2 in
the answer 6 you just go straight to the *erb describing what you do: 7 watch
tele*ision8 listen to music8 go shopping8 etc.5
the *erb 2suc"a (%2)2 1to listen4 is one of those few that ha*e a nonstandard
rekcja 6 2suc"a2 takes the direct object in the geniti*e.4
'n" now2 just to %aMe eKample w%ere t%e instrumental Lor a t%ing woul" be enLorce" by t%e
case goMernment oL a preposition6
0uestion( 30o! (d5) czym (d5) si sc"ronisz9 g!y zacznie pa!aF3
7Hnder what will you take shelter when it starts raining37
1in Polish8 contingent future e*ents are often e+pressed in future perfecti*e
tense8 so the subordinate clause here would literally translate to: 2### when it will
start raining#28 or e*en 2### when it will hae started raining#2 1both of which are8 of
course8 totally in*alid by the rules of :nglish grammar45
the main use of the *erb 2pa!a2 is to communicate an occurence of
precipitation 1usually of rain8 but it can also be snow or hail45 in that
function the *erb 2pa!a2 appears without a *isible subject 1like the 2dummy
subject2 "it" in :nglish4 and is conjugated in &rd.pers.sing. 1so8 we can speak
of an "i!a"ina$le su$ject" "it" in Polish 1that3s not official nomenclature :445
7 will also admit that a simpler8 and therefore more natural for casual
language8 way of making this sort of in9uiry would be to ask: 21!zie si
sc"ronisz9 ... / 1!zie si sc"owasz9 ...2 1"Where will you take shelter + hide, ###"45
howe*er8 somebody might well want to be more specific and put in a more
elaborate 9uestion like the one in the e+ample5
2(s&c"roni si2 [ to take shelter + refuge 12sc"roni2 is the perfecti*e aspect
*ariant4
answer( 31!y zacznie pa!a9 sc"roni si po! (r5) tamtym !rzewem (d5) .3
7%hen it starts raining I will take shelter under that (!arther) tree.7
1the nominati*e ; 21tamto4 drzewo2 1neut.44
>ummar) 6 t%e interrogatiMe pronouns Lor objects in t%e instrumental are
(***?) "ki m"9 "c zym "
but usually they are presented this way6 "(z& kim "9 "(z & czym "
(and the reason !or that well learn soon 6))
([W[) a Uuestion about t%e one w%o was aLLecte" O)
( t%e interrogatiMe pronouns to ask about t%e "atiMe6
"ko mu2 / cze mu2 " >to4(Lor) w%omF 4 to4(Lor) w%atF@ )
Qet=s recall t%e sentences oL our main eKample6
3(anuela (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4) z ciekawymi za!aniami (d5)
kole!ze (d$) swojego kuzyna (d2) !obremu w matematyce (d6).3
31anuela gaMe a book wit% interesting (mat%ematical) problems
to a Lrien" oL %er cousin (w%o is) goo" at mat%s.3
$ell2 we=re procee"ing seUuentially2 so as you can alrea"y guess we=re going to take on t%e
7!riend7 now 6) .ut Lirst2 let=s make our sentences simpler we=ll cut all t%e eKtra inLormation
t%at "oesn=t aLLect eit%er t%e sense or t%e basic syntaK.
3(anuela (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4) kole!ze (d$) swojego kuzyna (d2).3
31anuela gaMe a book to a Lrien" oL %er cousin.3
#K2 t%ere=s no reason Lor "elays. T%e Uuestion we want to ask is about t%e Lrien" w%o is t%e
person t%at gets t%e book. Pn ot%er wor"s2 %e is t%e person(4t%ing) aLLecte" by t%e action oL
giMing. T%e "irect object oL t%at action in t%is eKample is t%e book. T%e Lrien" is t%e in"irect
object. Pn Tnglis% we %aMe %im "esignate" in t%at role by t%e prepositional p%rase 7to a !riend7
in Polis% all you nee" to mark t%at role is t%e rig%t "eclension case6 t%e "atiMe (d$).
/o2 in Tnglis% we nee" to ask about t%e person w%o was giMen t%e book t%is way6
7%ho did ,anuela give the book to37
or6
7To whom did ,anuela give the book37
.ut in Polis% we "on=t %aMe anyt%ing like "!o kolegi (swojego kuzyna&" in t%is sentence
we just %aMe "kole!ze (swojego kuzyna&"6 wit%out any prepositions2 rig%tF /o2 it=s only
logical t%at we woul" nee" a single special Uuestion wor" to get t%is "atiMe Lorm oL t%e noun
"kolega" in answer.
T%is Uuestion wor" Lor t%e situations like %ere6 w%ere we=re asking about a person is
3komu (d$) 3.
a6 3@omu (d$) (anuela (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4)23
7To whom did ,anuela give the book37
'6 3+na (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4) kole!ze (d$) .3
7"he gave the book to a !riend.7
Dotice t%at t%is 3... swojego kuzyna (d2)3 (7... o! her cousin7) is just an a""ition to t%e noun 3kolega3
it=s an important a""ition in terms oL t%e meaning (because it tells us t%at it=s not actually a Lrien" oL
1anuela but oL %er cousin) but it "oesn=t aLLect t%e Lorm oL t%e wor" 7kolega7. T%is "swojego kuzyna"
part just 3%angs on to3 t%e main wor" "kolega"2 an" it is t%e "swojego kuzyna" part t%at is "epen"ent
on t%e "kolega"2 not t%e ot%er way aroun". Pn t%e course oL inLlecting a compoun" like "kolega swojego
kuzyna"2 only t%e main substantiMe woul" un"ergo c%anges6 "kolega swojego kuzyna" (d1)2 "kolegi
swojego kuzyna" (d2)2 "kole!ze swojego kuzyna" (d$)2 "koleg swojego kuzyna" (d4) (...).
'n" now we %aMe to leaMe our main eKample Lor a moment2 because nee" to learn about t%e
"atiMe Uuestion wor" Lor material objects2 Lor t%ings. T%at wor" is 3cze mu3.
1aybe it is in or"er to aMoi" conLusion wit% Uuestions about t%ings in t%e "atiMe t%at some
people t%ink it incorrect to use 3czemu3 in t%e meaning oL 7why7 (... an" "eman" t%at 7why7 =
3!laczego3).
XoweMer2 in Lact... t%ere is Mery rarely a groun" Lor suc% conLusion2 because material
(inanimate) t%ings become in"irect objects only Mery rarely. \ou "on=t oLten come to t%ink in
terms oL material t%ings 3being aLLecte"3 by an action in t%e way oL being a beneLiciary or
suLLering t%e conseUuences oL an action inMolMing anot%er t%ing (t%at 3anot%er t%ing3 being t%e
"irect object oL a Merb).
/o2 actually2 t%ere are (probably O)) only two speciLic situations w%ere we woul" use 3czemu3 to
ask about a "atiMe object6
?) w%en talking about animals w%ic% woul"n=t normally be reLerre" to as 3kto)"
(somebo"y) in Polis%2
B) wit% some speciLic Merbs t%at take "irect objects in t%e "atiMe t%ere are really only a Lew
oL t%em6 t%e only one P can t%ink oL rig%t now is 3przygl!a si komu)/czemu)% (!J&3 to
be looking intently, carefully, long and in an inspectie way at somebody or something? to be staring at
sbd+sth
### let me Lirst generally "emonstrate t%e use oL t%at Merb2 a situation w%ere it woul" Lit6
Dlaczego tak mi (d$) si przygl!asz (r$) 2
0ryszcz mi wyskoczy9 czy co2
%hy are you staring at me so3 /ave I grown a pimple on my !ace or what3
&warning( the second sentence is 6ar 6rom a literal translation)
... an" now Lor a an eKample t%at will "emonstrate t%e use oL 3czemu3 as an interrogatiMe "atiMe
pronoun66
@obieta (d1) !ugo przygl!aa si (r$) z!jciu (d$).
&in a liberal translation() The woman took a long time inspecting the photo.
1the nominati*e ; 2zdj=cie2 1neut.44
's you can alrea"y guess2 we will want to inUuire about t%e t%ing t%at t%e woman was
inspecting so careLully. T%is means t%at we will %aMe to ask a Uuestion about t%e object oL t%e
Merb 3przygl!a si32 an" since we know t%at t%is strange Merb takes t%e "irect object in
t%e "atiMe we will %aMe to use a "atiMe interrogatiMe wor" (... in t%is case6 t%e one t%at reLers
to a t%ing2 rat%er t%an t%e one use" w%en asking about people).
#K since we alrea"y know (Mery precisely O)) w%at we want to "o2 let=s "o it 6) 6
3zemu (d$) przygl!aa si (r$) kobieta (d1)F 3$%at was t%e woman inspectingF3
)ine let=s come back Lor a minute to our 3czemu/!laczego3 "igression. \ou mig%t say t%at
t%ere is a potential Lor conLusion rig%t in t%is eKample2 because somebo"y mig%t interpret t%is
sentence as saying6 7%hy was the woman staring37... $ell... actually... not really. T%e t%ing is
t%at 3przygl!a si3 is not normally use" wit%out an object2 so iL t%ere is no ot%er
substantiMe (noun or a pronoun) in t%e sentence2 t%e (interrogatiMe) pronoun 3czemu3 will
always be assume" as t%e object oL t%at Merb. Qook at t%ose eKamples an" t%e natural
translations6
3zemu si przygl!asz2 %hat are you looking (intently) at3
3zemu przygl!asz si temu kotu (d$)2
%hy are you staring so inspectively at that cat3
\es2 t%e Lirst sentence could be interprete" as 7%hy are you staring so in(uisitively372 but t%is
woul"n=t be t%e Lirst interpretation t%at woul" cross t%e min" oL a natiMe speaker. T%e Merb
3przygl!a si3 really wants an object eMen iL it is not strictly obligatory.
Iig%t... Qet=s now come back to our 3?)3 circumstance in w%ic% we mig%t nee" to use t%e
interrogatiMe pronoun Lor a material t%ing6 a situation w%ere an in"irect object oL an action is
an animal.
7eraz myj gow (d4) mojemu psu (d$). <ow Im washing my dog its head.
1the nominati*es ; 2g<owa2 1fem.48 21mBj4 pies2 1masc.44
T%e "irect object oL t%e Merb 3my3 (to wash) %ere is t%e %ea"2 but t%at action aLLects t%e w%ole
"og as an in"iMi"ual 6) t%e "oggie will be please" (or not 6)) Lor %aMing its %ea" clean an"
Lragrant oL s%ampoo 6)
Dow we want to ask w%o4w%at was t%at w%ose %ea" was was%e". .ecause we know we are
oblige" to speak about our "ear "oggie as about a thing O)2 we know we %aMe to ask it t%is
way6
3zemu (d$) myjesz teraz gow2 :or/to what are you washing the head now3
... t%is is a pretty ba" Tnglis% sentence2 but t%ere=s just no way to make a "irect translation t%at
woul" keep t%e proper wor" relations%ips6 t%e use oL in"irect objects is muc% more limite" in
Tnglis%...
... but2 wait a minute7 6)... just look w%at a coinci"ence we %aMe %ere7 'mazing7 .ecause
w%at coul" t%e sentence 7:or what are you washing your head now37 be un"erstoo" to mean
in Tnglis%F Qet=s make a little transLormation an" we get6 7%hat are you washing the head now
!or372 rig%tF 'n" t%at can basically be rea" as 7%hy are you washing your head now37
correctF
$ell amazingly2 it=s t%e same in Polis%7 'n"2 w%ile we practically "i"n=t %aMe a conLusion
w%en we were "ealing wit% t%e Merb 3przygl!a si3 (because let me repeat t%e eKplanation
t%at one wants a "irect object an" t%at object %as to be in t%e "atiMe2 so t%e 3czemu3 woul" naturally be
interprete" as t%at "irect object unless t%ere was anot%er t%ing in t%e "atiMe case in t%e sentence)2..
%ere in t%e 3animal situation3 we are getting into a little conLusion. $%yF .ecause wit%
3my3 we %aMe t%e "irect object in t%e (stan"ar") accusatiMe2 an" as Lor t%e in"irect object we
oLten cannot %aMe a clue iL t%e situation inMolMes one or not... T%ereLore6
7D)emu my&es) tera) gEowK372 giMen no conteKt2 can wit% eUual justiLication be
un"erstoo" to mean6
3zemu (d$) myjesz teraz gow2
&liberal translation() %hose head are you washing now3
1notice that the :nglish 9uestion pronoun 2whose2 1; belonging to whom/what4
applies e9ually to humans8 animals8 and things4
as6
3zemu (< Dlaczego& teraz myjesz gow2
%hy are you washing your head now3
/o... in conclusion yes... in some situations it may be better to use 3!laczego3 (rat%er t%an
3czemu3) to aMoi" ambiguity 6)
's we alrea"y know2 it is most ucommon t%at we woul" nee" to pose "atiMe Uuestions about
t%ings. Qet=s t%en Linis% oLL t%e section "ealing wit% "atiMe Uuestions by making a Lew more
eKamples in w%ic% we will ask about people6
a6 @omu (d$) najbar!ziej lubisz !awa prezenty (d4).
To whom do you most like giving presents3
1the nominati*e: 2prezenty2 1plural4 ( sing. ; 2prezent2 1masc.44
'6 (Iajbar!ziej lubi !awa prezenty& mojej mamie (d$).
1the short answer would be the thing outside the parentheses: "(ojej mamie."8 or
e*en just: "(amie."5 the nominati*e ; 2mama2 1fem.44
a policeman asking a group of passengers on a train!
@omu (d$) (z 0aBstwa& ukra!ziono zegarek2
:or whom (o! you- Badies and @entlemen) a watch has been stolen3
1this is a ridiculous translation: 73m adopting the "for who!" structure here
only to reflect the use of the dati*e in Polish5 a correct :nglish sentence to
ask that 9uestion would be: "Who of you has had their watch stolen4"4
'6 (nie (d$) 7 (:or) me2
1the nominati*e ; 2ja2 1pers.pron.44
a6 @omu (d$) z Was kie!ykolwiek to (d4) si przy!arzyo (r4'r$)2
To whom o! you has this ever happened3
( "przy!arza si">
"co) (!;&% przy!arza si komu) (!J&%"
/ "somet"ing% "appens to somebo!y%" &
'6 (nie (d$) nie9 ale mojemu kole!ze (d$) / tak.
<ot to me- but to my !riend yes.
1the nominati*e ; 2ja2 1pers.pron.48 21mBj4 kolega2 1masc.44
on a school trip ; teacher speaking!
a6 (am (r4) je!en !o!atkowy sweter (d4). @omu (d$) jest zimno2
I have one spare/e8tra sweater. %ho is cold3
1the nominati*e ; 21jeden dodatkowy4 sweter2 1masc.44
'6 3"yba (anueli (d$) / a, si trzsie.
It seems that ,anuela is shes even shivering2
(t%e nominatiMe = 31anuela3 6))
@omu (d$) jest atwo w !zisiejszyc" czasac"2
:or whom things are easy nowadays3
@omu (d$) po!oba si taka piosenka (d1)2
%ho likes this kind o! a song (.../ a song like this one)3
1consult the point 2b42 of the section on the dati*e in the first part of the
booklet for an e+planation of the meaning and use of the *erb 2po!oba si24
@omu (d$) )nio si co) a!nego (d1) tej nocy2
%ho dreamt o! something nice this night3
1same as abo*e: 2Lni si2 is used differently than the :nglish "to #rea!"8 so
you might want to re?read the e+planation gi*en in the first part of the
booklet4
a person waking up in a hospital after being saed from a serious accident!
@omu (d$) mam !zikowa (r$) za uratowanie ,ycia2
%ho should I thank !or saving my li!e3
@omu (d$) z 7wojej klasy najcz)ciej pomagasz (r$) 2
%ho o! your class do you help most o!ten3
@omu (d$) mog o tym powie!zie (r$) 2
%ho can I tell about this3
PL you %aMe "oubts about t%e reasons w%y t%e objects (mostly6 in"irect objects) t%at t%e
Uuestions aboMe are about %aMe to be "atiMe objects2 look into t%e section on t%e "atiMe... or
ask your Polis% teac%er 6))
Dow it=s %ig% time we moMe" on2 so let us just %aMe a summary on t%e "atiMe Uuestion wor"s6
>ummar) 6 t%e interrogatiMe pronouns Lor "atiMe objects are
(***4) 3kom u3, 3czemu 3
([Y[) t%e Uuestion oL w%ose Lrien" in t%e en" t%at was O)
( t%e interrogatiMe pronouns to ask about t%e genitiMe6
"ko go2 / cze go2 " >oL w%omF 4 oL w%atF@ )
Qet me start wit% a little clariLication 6) P %aMe use" t%e wor" 7whose7 in t%e title oL t%is point
but t%at was to make t%e sentence s%orter an"2 actually2 it can be a little mislea"ing... .ut
P=m not sorry Lor %aMing "one t%at2 because t%at mig%t eMen %elp us to sort out one t%ing in t%e
beginning6
T%e Tnglis% interrogatiMe possessiMe pronoun 3w%ose3 stan"s Lor 3oL w%om343oL w%at3 an"
t%at reLers to any kin" oL belonging or possession. Dotice2 %oweMer2 t%at t%is pronoun "oes not
coMer t%e situations inMolMing t%e use oL t%e non.possessive 7o!7. )or eKample2 iL we %aMe a
sentence6
7This statue is made o! stone.7
t%en t%ere is no place Lor t%e pronoun 7whose7 in t%e Uuestion about t%e material t%at statue
is ma"e oL6
79! what is that statue made37-
or2 more correctly6
7%hat is the statue made o!37
Qet=s take anot%er eKample6
7The girl is a!raid o! spiders.7
] an" t%e Uuestion about t%e object oL t%e girls Lears comes as6
7%hat is the girl a!raid o!37
T%ese2 t%en2 woul" be t%e eKamples oL Uuestions about objects in w%at remains oL t%e
Lunctional genitiMe in Tnglis%.
Dow we let=s moMe on to Polis%2 w%ere t%ings look Uuite similar. T%ere is also a separate
possessiMe interrogatiMe2 an" two ot%er2 nonApossessiMe genitiMe interrogatiMe pronouns.
T%e interrogatiMe possessiMe pronoun is 3czy j3. XoweMer2 since t%e pronoun stan"s Lor a
3possessor3 oL somet%ing4(somebo"y) (somet%ing4somebo"y speciLic)2 an" t%e wor"
"esignating t%at something must always appear in a sentence wit% t%at pronoun2 in eLLect t%e
pronoun acts muc% like an a"jectiMe6 it a"opts a gen"er Lorm appropriate to t%e gen"er oL t%e
object oL possession (t%e t%ing or person t%at belongs to t%e 3possessor3). T%us2 relating to t%e
object oL possession being masculine2 Leminine2 an" neuter2 respectiMely6 we %aMe t%ree
Mariants oL t%e interrogatiMe possessiMe pronoun6 3czyj32 3czyja32 3czyje3.
Pt s%oul" also be note" t%at t%e Polis% possessiMe pronoun 3czyj3 is2 practically2 applicable only
to %uman possessors (i.e.2 it woul" not be use" in t%e instances oL a t%ing belonging2 being part
oL2 or being relate" to another thing)O
also2 it=s use as an intro"uction to subor"inate" clauses is Mery limite" (compare" to
Tnglis%) ] but t%at=s not somet%ing we=" be getting intereste" in rig%t now.
Qet=s %aMe a Lew eKamples instea"2 s%all weF 6) 6
a6 3zyj (in"erro. possessive pron.) to jest parasol (d1)2
%hose umbrella is this3
'?6 (-j (possessive pronoun). ,ine.
1this is an e+ample of a 9uestion about the possessor being answered with a
possessi*e pronoun5
notice the gender agreement of the two possessi*e pronouns with the gender of
the object of possession [ 2parasol2 1masc.45 by the way8 2parasol2 is the
subject of the 9uestion sentence4
'B6 7o jest parasol (d1) mojej siostry (d2). This is an umbrella o! my sister.
*in proper $nglish6 7This is my sisters umbrella.7+
1the nominati*e ; 21moja4 siostra2 1fem.45
here we ha*e the 9uestion about the possessor answered with a noun [ and that
means a use of the geniti*e5
the noun in the geniti*e has its own gender and8 unlike a possessi*e pronoun8
it doesn3t show any dependence of form related to the gender of the object of
possession [ in other words: there would always be one geniti*e form "mojej
siostry"8 regardless if the 2thing2 that belongs to "!y sister" were to be
2parasol28 2sukienka28 or 2dziecko244
a6 3zyje obraz y (plural,d1) byy naj!ro,sze na aukcji2
%hose paintings were the most e8pensive at the auction3
'6 Iaj!ro,sze byy obrazy (d1)
sawnego malarza (d2)9 4acka (alczewskiego (d2).
The most e8pensive were the paintings
o! the !amous painter- ?acek ,alc)ewski.
1the nominati*es ; 2obrazy2 1plural4 ( 2obraz2 1sing.8masc.8d,48
21s<awny4 malarz2 1masc.48 2Iacek Malczewski2 1proper name44
3zyja pomoc (!em,d1) bya bar!ziej przy!atna
K moja (possesive pron. in !em. varian") czy mojego brata (d2)2
] %hose help was more use!ul L mine or my brothers3
*more literally6 7(that) o! my brother7+
1the nominati*e ; 21mBj4 brat2 1masc.44
#K2 we=Me alrea"y seen Uuestions t%at use t%e interrogatiMes about a possessor w%en t%at
possessor is a person. Pn case oL animals2 t%e wor" 3czyj3 can be use"2 too...
"3zyje #utro jest najmiksze2" 7 %hose !ur is the so!test3 7
... but it is strongly recommen"able to use more precise an"2 unLortunately2 a bit more
compleK constructions instea"6
a6 Lutro (d1) jakiego zwierzcia (d2) jest najmiksze2
The !ur o! what kind o! an animal is the so!test3
'6 Iajmiksze jest #utro (d1) kota (d2). The so!test is the !ur o! a cat.
's you can well see by t%at eKample2 t%e 3more compleK3 Uuestion is not only more clear in
Polis%2 but it=s a better alternatiMe in Tnglis% as well6 7whose7 coul" suggest t%at we=re talking
about someone=s coat ma"e Lrom an animal=s Lur.
$%en "ealing wit% material t%ings t%e use oL 3czyj32 or 7whose72 is completely out oL t%e
Uuestion. !ust look at t%is statement sentence6
"Drzwi tego !omu (d2) s zamknite." 7The door o! this house is closed.7
1remember that the Polish noun for 2door2 only comes in plural8 the same way as
the 2scissors2 do in :nglish4
T%ere=s no "oubt t%at neit%er in Tnglis% nor in Polis% will t%e Lollowing Uuestion be acceptable
as a way to ask about t%e buil"ing t%at t%e "oor is part oL6
"3zyje !rzwi s zamknite2" 7%hose door is closed37
T%e aboMe is un"erstan"able in a LiguratiMe sense (bot% in Polis% an" in Tnglis% it coul" be rea"
as6 3T%e "oor to w%ose room is close"F3)2 but we=re not "ealing wit% t%ese kin"s oL nuances
%ere. Pn t%e stricter sense t%at we=re aLter %ere2 one nee"s to ask6
7The door o!/to what is closed37
'n" t%at2 in Polis%2 will make6
"3zego !rzwi s zamknite2"
Pn a similar way2 iL we %a" a sentence6
"Wyniki (d1) ba!aB (!'& s bar!zo zaskakujce."
7The results o! the research are very surprising.7
1the nominati*es ; 2wyniki2 1plural4 ( 2wynik2 1sing.8masc.8d,4 6 note that
2wynik2 in singular is used mostly when referring to a game score8
2badania2 1plural4 ( 2badanie2 1sing.8fem.8d,4 6 this world8
too8 used in plural most of the time4
t%en we coul" ask a Uuestion like6
7The results o! what were (very) surprising37
( "3zego wyniki byy (bar!zo& zaskakujce2"
's you can see t%ere is a possessiMe application Lor one oL t%e genitiMe interrogatiMe
pronouns trom t%e %ea" oL t%is section6 i.e.2 Lor t%e 3czego 32 w%ic% relates to material t%ings.
P=m not giMing you many more eKamples oL t%at application2 t%oug%2 because as P guess you
can see yourselL t%ose Uuestions "on=t strike one as particularly natural. Pt looks as t%oug%2
%istorically2 mankin" must %aMe been more intereste" in t%ese instances oL belonging w%ere
t%e possessor was a %uman being t%an in t%ose w%ere one thing woul" be subor"inately
relate" to anot%er 6) 6 bot% in Polis% an" in Tnglis% we get a special interrogatiMe pronoun
(3czyj32 7whose7) Lor t%e %uman possessors2 an" in bot% oL t%e languages Uuestions about t%e
3possessorAt%ing3 oLten seem some%ow clumsy an" wanting a more elaborate asking Lormula
to be precise an" meaningLul.
#K2 t%at was a stretc%e" argument 6) \es2 one does use t%e 3czego3 to inUuire about
possessor w%en t%at possessor is a material t%ing. 'n" P t%ink t%at t%ose two eKamples aboMe
%aMe "emonstrate" it Uuite well.
T%e reason Lor w%ic% P want to skip more eKamples oL t%e use oL 3czego3 in asking about
possession is t%at P woul" like to Linally moMe on to suc% instances oL t%e usage oL genitiMe t%at
will allow us to see t%e secon" oL t%e genitiMe interrogatiMe pronouns in action t%e 3kogo3
(an" t%ose will be t%e kin"s oL settings w%ere 3czego3 will be in play as well).
.eLore we get to t%at2 t%oug%2 one little Lormality regar"ing our main eKample sentence. 's we
remember2 t%e sentence ran6
3(anuela (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4) z ciekawymi za!aniami (d5)
kole!ze (d$) swojego kuzyna (d$)..."
7,anuela gave a book with interesting (mathematical) problems
to a !riend o! her cousin...7
'n" you can probably guess as well t%at t%e Uuestion t%at we will want to make now2 will be6
7%hose !riend did ,anuela give the book to37
'n" you alrea"y know2 too2 t%at we will use 3czyj3... GnLortunately2 P %aMe one more complication Lor
you... so2 please2 treat t%e Lollowing remarks more as triMia t%an somet%ing Lor you to learn an" to
remember at t%is stage2 #KF 6)
Qook closely at t%e Uuestion sentence2 an" you will see t%at t%e compoun" 7whose !riend7 is a "atiMe
complement oL t%e Merb 7to giMe3 t%e Lrien" toget%er wit% %is 3possessor3 are t%e in"irect object oL t%e
action oL giMing t%e book (3t%e book3 is t%e "irect object oL t%e action).
T%is will be be seen more clearly iL we s%uLLle t%e wor"Aor"er oL t%e Uuestion6
7To whose !riend did ,anuela give the book37
Dow2 remember w%at P sai" about t%e pronoun 3czyj3 %aMing t%ose t%ree gen"er Lorms an" a"justing
itselL to t%e noun speciLying t%e object oL possessionF P sai" t%at t%e pronoun be%aMe" like an a"jectiMe.
'n" so it "oes. 'n"2 alt%oug% a"jectiMes as suc% %aMe not been a point oL particular Locus Lor us %ere2 you
know t%at t%ey Lollow "eclension. JonseUuently2 t%e pronoun 3czyj3 will "o so2 too.
$%at2 in eLLect2 means t%at our inUuiry about w%ose Lrien" was giMen t%e book will look as Lollows6
"3zyjemu kole!ze (d$) (anuela (d1) !aa ksi,k (d4)F3
w%ere 3czyjemu3 is t%e "atiMe Lorm oL 3czyj3 t%e masculine Mariant oL t%e pronoun (it %as to agree in
gen"er wit% 3kolega3 w%ic% is masculine)
/o muc% Lor t%e Lormality. $e can now procee" on wit% "iscoMering t%e use oL t%e genitiMe
interrogatiMe pronouns 3kogo3 4 3czego3.
$%at are t%en t%e situations2 w%ere t%ose two woul" applyF $ell2 t%at=s Uuite simple t%e
section on t%e genitiMe in t%e Lirst part oL t%e booklet coul" giMe you plenty oL clues 6) T%e
s%ort answer is6 t%e genitiMe interrogatiMe (bot% t%e 3czego3 an" t%e 3kogo3) is use" wit% all oL
t%e nonApossessiMe Lunctions oL t%e genitiMe.
Qet=s start wit% my personal LaMourite O) t%e situation in w%ic% a wor" is put in t%e genitiMe
because it is t%e "irect object in a negatiMe sentence (... w%ic%2 as we know2 means t%at
instea" oL t%e normal accusatiMe2 we %aMe to use t%e genitiMe). Qet=s start wit% t%e special case6
t%e 3t%ere is no 4 t%ere is not3 (... an" 3t%ere are no 4 t%ere are not3) type oL sentence.
3W mie)cie nie ma )wie,ego powietrza (d2) .3
7In a city there is no !resh air.7
1the nominati*e ; 21LwieMe4 powietrze2 1neut.44
T%is sentence can be an answer to t%e Uuestion6
33zego (d2) nie ma w mie)cie23 7%hat isnt there in a city37
33zego (d2) nie ma na niebie w nocy23 7%hat isnt there in the sky at night37
1notice that perhaps a more natural 9uestion sentence in :nglish would be
something like 2What can you not find in the night skyN28 but the one abo*e also
is correct and fairly normal4
... now2 t%e s%ortest (an" Lully correct) answer to t%at coul" be just6
36oBca (d2) .3 7The sun.7
36oBce3 is put in t%e genitiMe because t%e Uuestion "eman"e" t%at being a Uuestion in t%e
negatiMe. #ne look at a longer Mersion oL t%is answer will make t%ings absolutely clear6 3W nocy
na niebie nie ma soBca (d2) .3
&eacher asking in the beginning of a lesson!
3@ogo (d2) !zisiaj nie ma23 7%ho isnt there (in the class) today37
3Dzi) nie ma Fni (d2).3 7Ania isnt there today.7
1of course8 the answer could be just 2Fni.24
3@ogo (d2) nie ma !zisiaj na imprezie23
7%ho isnt there at the party today37
3Dzisiaj na imprezie nie ma
!w-c" moic" koleg-w (d2) 9 4acka (d2) i @rzy)ka (d2) .3
7,y two !riends arent there at the party today- ?acek and =r)ysiek.7
1the names of the friends stand in the same relation to the *erb phrase "nie !a"
as the piece of the sentence that describes who they are 1"#waj !oi przyjaciele
(d1)"48 so both those elements of the sentence come in the geniti*e4
Qet=s now use a couple oL transitiMe Merbs w%ic% woul" normally take t%eir "irect objects in t%e
accusatiMe2 but w%ic% will %aMe to take t%em in t%e genitiMe2 because t%e sentences P am going
to set t%em in are going to be negatiMe sentencesO we=re going to ask Uuestions about t%ose
"irect objects.
33zego (d2) nig!y nie pijesz wieczorem23
7%hat do you never drink in the evening37
3Wieczorem nig!y nie pi j kawy (d2) .3
7I never drink co!!ee in the evening.7
1the nominati*e ; 2kawa2 1fem.44
!ust Lor a remin"er6 a typical transitiMe Merb2 like 3pi3 (to drink"2 takes its complement in t%e
accusatiMe in all t%e positiMe sentences6
33o (d4) zazwyczaj pijesz wieczorem23
7%hat do you usually drink in the evening37
3Wieczorem pij "erbat (d4).3 7I drink tea in the evening.7
1the nominati*e ; 2herbata2 1fem.44
33zego (d2) najbar!ziej nie lubisz w pieczonym kurczaku23 ...
... %ere we %aMe to watc% out about t%e translation6 t%is is a negatiMe sentence w%ic%
apples t%e negation 3nie3 to t%e transitiMe Merb 3lubi kogo)/co) (d4)%32 but... t%e most
natural intensiLier to use in t%is sentence in Polis% is 3najbar!ziej3 (the most"2 so probably t%e
rig%t translation woul" be6
... 7%hat do you dislike the most in a roasted chicken37
wit%out t%e 3not3 typical Lor negatiMe sentences. XoweMer2 let me stress it again (!) 6 we
cannot Lorget t%at in t%e Polis% originial t%is is a typical negatiMe sentence (a negatiMe
Uuestion) an" t%at Lor t%is reason we %aMe t%e 3czego (d2)3 (instea" oL 3co (d4)3) as our
interrogatiMe pronoun Lor t%e "irect object %ere. Qet=s take anot%er2 similar eKample6

3@ogo (d2) najbar!ziej nie lubisz w swojej szkole23
7%ho do you dislike the most at your school37
3Iauczycielki (d2) c"emii.3 7The (!emale) chemistry teacher.7
1literally this is 7The (!emale) teacher o! chemistry.78 so the "c"emii" is8 in fact8
another noun in geniti*e here 1d, ; 2chemia248 but that3s not so important at
this point5
the nominati*e ; 2nauczycielka2 1fem.44
P %ope t%at it=s not Uuite necessary by now to say t%at a sentence like6
7I like the (!emale) $nglish teacher.7
uses t%e accusatiMe Lor t%e object2 an" t%ereLore looks like t%is6
38ubi nauczycielk (d4) angielskiego (d2).3 (7... the teacher o! $nglish.7)
.ut an" t%is is Uuite important notice t%at t%e Uuestion wor" Lor t%e object oL t%e last
sentence woul" %aMe to be t%e interrogatiMe personal pronoun Lor t%e accusatiMe... an" t%at
t%is interrogatiMe personal pronoun in accusatiMe 3kogo (d4)3 looks t%e same as t%e
interrogatiMe personal pronoun in genitiMe6 3kogo (d2)3.
\es2 t%e wor" looks t%e same2 but it=s Uuite important to pay attention to w%et%er a Uuestion
sentence we=re "ealing wit% is negatiMe or positiMe2 because on t%at "epen"s w%et%er t%at
particular 3kogo3 wants us to answer wit% a genitiMe (in case oL a negatiMe Uuestion sentence)
or wit% an accusatiMe (w%en t%e Uuestion sentence is a positiMe one) in ot%er wor"s6 w%et%er
t%e 3kogo3 in t%e Uuestion sentence is t%e 3kogo (d2)3 or t%e 3kogo (d2)3.
Qet=s bring t%ose eKamples wit% t%e Merb 3lubi kogo)%3 closer toget%er2 to see t%e
"iLLerence clearly6
3@ogo (d2) najbar!ziej nie lubisz w swojej szkole23
3Iauczycielki (d2) c"emii.3
3F kogo (d4) najbar!ziej lubisz23
3Iauczycielk (d4) angielskiego.3
#ne or two more eKamples oL t%ese negatiMeAsentenceArelate" genitiMes6
33zego (d2) nie pami tae) &mascv6orm) na (r6) te)cie (d6)23
7%hat did you not remember on the test37
3Daty (d2) o!krycia (d2) Drazylii (d2).3
7The date o! the discovery o! Bra)il.7
1the nominati*es ; 2test2 1masc.48 2data2 1fem.48
2odkrycie2 1masc.48 2'razylia2 1fem.44
Qet=s %aMe t%e positiMes Lor comparison now6
33o (d4) pamitasz (r4) z (r2) ostatniej lekcji (d2) "istorii (d2)F3
7%hat do you remember !rom the last history lesson37 *7... lesson o! history7+
1the nominati*e ; 21ostatnia4 lekcja2 1fem.48 2historia2 1fem.44
33"yba tylko !at (d4) o!krycia Drazylii.3
74robably only the date o! the discovery o! Bra)il.7
33zego (d2) nig!y nie o gl!asz w telewizji23
7%hat do you never watch on television37
3Morror-w (d2) .3 7The horror movies.7
1the nominati*e: 2horrory2 1pl.4 ( 2horror2 1masc.44
... an" t%e comparison wit% positiMes6
33o (d4) on ogl!a (r4) czsto w telewizji23
7%hat does he watch on the television o!ten37
3Morrory (d4) 73 7The horror movies27
' policeman interMiewing a witness an" s%owing %im some portrait p%otos66
3@ogo (d2) z nic" nig!y 0an nie wi!zia 23
7%ho o! them have you never seen37
3(,czyzny (d2) w ciemnyc" okularac".3 7The man in the dark glasses.7
... w%ereas2 on t%e positiMe si"e6
3F kogo (d4) wi!zia (r4) 0an wte!y na ulicy23
7And who have you seen in the street at that time37
33"yba tego m,czyzn (d4) z wsami.3
74robably that man with the moustache.7
1the nominati*e ; 21ten4 m=Mczyzna2 1masc.4 6 well... ridiculously enough this
word 12a man24 ends with an 2?a2 and has a declension pattern typical of a
feminine noun 1048 like for e+ample 2kobieta2 1"a wo!an"44
Qet=s now see two eKamples oL a situation w%ere t%e "irect object oL a sentence woul" al%a)s
come in t%e genitiMe2 because t%at is "eman"e" by t%e rekc&a oL t%e particular Merb (look
back into t%e point 3c)3 oL t%e section on t%e uses oL t%e genitiMe Lor more "etails). To ask about
t%e objects oL t%e sentences wit% one oL t%ose particular Merbs we will always use a genitiMe
interrogatiMe pronoun (w%et%er a sentence is positiMe or negatiMe will not play a role %ere).
Qet=s start wit% t%e Mery popular Merb 3u,ywa3 (to use"2 w%ic% eMen many Poles try to employ
%rongl) wit% complements in t%e accusatiMeO just like t%ey woul" (correctly) "o wit% most
ot%er Merbs. Xere is t%e only correct way oL asking about its object6 al%a)s t%roug% t%e
genitiMe interrogatiMe 3 cze go3 A bot% in positiMe an" negatiMe Uuestion sentences. (T%ere=s
%ar"ly eMer a situation t%at reUuires 3kogo3 to be use"... but iL t%ere were2 t%en t%at woul" be
t%e 3kogo (d2)32 an" not t%e 3kogo (d4)3 ... an" t%is is important an" wort% remembering2 no
matter t%at t%e s%ape oL t%e wor" is t%e same O)) 6
33zego (d2) u,ywasz (r2) !o oc"rony prze! soBcem2
Iapraw! u,ywasz (r2) tego bezna!ziejnego kremu (d2)2
Iie u,ywaj (r2) go (d2).3
7%hat do you use !or protection against the sun3
1o you really use that worthless creme / skin lotion3 1ont use it27
1the nominati*e ; 21ten beznadziejny4 krem2 1masc.44
To %aMe a comparison2 let=s c%ange 3u,ywa (%2)3 Lor a Lairly synonymic Merb wit% a 3normal3
case goMernment 3stosowa (%4)3 (to apply, to use"6
33o (d4) stosujesz (r4) !la oc"rony prze! soBcem2
Iapraw! stosujesz (r4) ten bezna!ziejny krem (d4)2
Iie stosuj go (d2).3
7%hat do you apply !or protection against the sun3
1o you really apply that worthless lotion3 1ont apply it27
Dotice t%at in t%is secon" eKample t%e last sentence ("Iie stosuj go.") also uses t%e
genitiMe object t%at is so because t%e last sentence is a negatiMe sentence (... w%ic% reUuires
accusatiMe objects to c%ange into genitiMe ones). GnLortunately2 t%e pronoun 3him3 (stan"ing
Lor t%e masculine 3krem3) %as sameAlooking "eclension Lorms Lor d$ an" d-.
T%e neKt eKample "uo will better illustrate t%e "iLLerence2 because we s%all %aMe a Leminine
object in it2 an" in t%e Leminine gen"er t%e "eclension oL pronouns is more Marie". $e=re going
to use anot%er oL t%ose 3alwaysAt%eAgenitiMe3 Merbs6 3broni (%2)3 (to defend" 6
3Io i kogo (d2) 7y bronisz (%2) 2 (.ronisz (r2) ) 7ej kamczuc"y (d2)2
(.ronisz (r2) ) 4ej (d2) 2. Iie broB jej (d2).3
7@ee)- who are you de!ending3 That (!emale) liar3 /er32 1ont de!end her27
1the nominati*e ; 21ta4 k<amczucha2 1fem.44
... let=s now use a transitiMe Merb wit% t%e stan"ar" case goMernment2
so as to see t%e "iLLerence6
3Io i kogo (d4) 7y zapraszasz (%4) 2 7 kamczuc" (d4)2
4 (d4)2. Iie zaprasza j jej (d2)73
7@ee)- who are you inviting3 That (!emale) liar3 /er32 1ont invite her27
'n" now let=s take a look at a couple oL eKamples2 w%ere t%e object oL t%e Uuestion comes in
connection wit% one oL t%e prepositions t%at goMern t%e genitiMe. $e=re going to make
sentences wit% just a Lew Lrom a goo" number oL t%ose prepositions see t%e point 3e)3 oL t%e
section on t%e uses oL t%e genitiMe Lor a more complete list oL suc% prepositions.
a6 3Dla (%2) kogo (d2) jest ta paczka (d1)23 7:or whom is that parcel37
'6 3Dla (%2) mojej przyjaci-ki (d2)9 Fni (d2).3 7(Its) !or my !riend Ania.7
1the nominati*e ; 21moja4 przyjaciB<ka2 1fem.48 2>nia2 1fem.44
a6 3+! (%2) kogo (d2) jest ten list (d1)2" 7:rom whom is this letter37
'6 3+! (%2) jej cioci (d2).3 3)rom %er aunt.3
1the nominati*e ; 21jej4 ciocia2 1fem.44
3H (%2) czego (d2) jest ten !ugopis (d1) / z (r2) plastiku (d2)
czy z (r2) metalu (d2)23
7%hat is this ballpoint 'made' o! (is it) 'made' o! plastic or o! metal37
1the nominati*es ; 2plastik2 1masc.48 2metal2 1masc.44
[
Qet me once again remin" you at t%is point t%at t%e sameAlooking preposition "z/ze" %as t%e
meaning oL "with"2 an" t%at it is eKactly by the declension case o! the word that comes a!ter
t%e "z/ze" t%at we ju"ge which oL t%e prepositions it is (t%e "with" or t%e "from+of"). T%e "z/ze"
wit% t%e meaning oL 7with7 we %aMe alrea"y coMere"2 because t%at one goMerns t%e
instrumental (an" t%e interrogatiMes Lor t%e instrumental came in t%e booklet two sections
beLore t%e present one)2 but P can t%ink oL a goo" illustratiMe eKample2 s%owing well t%e
"iLLerence between t%e two "iLLerent 7)s7 an" t%eir respectiMe interrogatiMe pronouns6
a6 3H czego (d2) jest ten c"leb (d1)F3
7%hat is this this bread 'made' !rom37
1the use of 2czego2 6 d2 6 tells us that we3re dealing with the "made of + made
from" meaning of 2z25
this 9uestion8 although not terrifically precise in its wording8 would be a
*ery normal8 and 9uite une9ui*ocal8 way of asking about the flour that the bread
was made from4
'6 37en c"leb (d1) jest z (%2) mki pszennej (d2).3
7This bread is 'made' !rom wheat !lour.7
1the nominati*e ; 2mRka pszenna2 1fem.4 6 of course8 there3s no reason you
should try to remember this kind of *ocabulary: 7 just wanted to make things
complete by showing a possible answer5
if we used the instrumental instead 1which wouldn%t be fair to the 9uestion8
which clearly asks "H czego 1d$4..."8 and not "H czym 1d"4..."48 we would get:
3To !est chle z m[k[ pszenn[ 1d"4.3 (&his is bread with wheat flour#""8 which wouldn3t make any
real sense4
an" now Lor t%e contrasting eKample6
a6 3H czym (d.) jest ten c"leb (d1)F3 7%hat is this bread with37
1... which in Polish is understood to mean: 7%hat is this sandwich with378 "What
components does this sandwich contain4"4
'6 37o jest c"leb z (%.) serem (%.).3 7This is bread with cheese.7
*7This is a cheese sandwich.7+
1the nominati*e ; 2ser2 1masc.45
playing at making the switch of cases again8 this time from the instrumental to
the geniti*e8 1which is8 like before8 an action against the clear intention of
the 9uestion which uses 2czym 1d"42 and not 2czego 1d$4248 we would arri*e at:
3To !est chle z sera 1d$4.3 1"&his is bread (made" of cheese#""8 which makes sense only as long
as you decide that something made of cheese can justly be called 2bread2 :44
[
$ell2 t%is is "eLinitely enoug% on t%e subject oL t%e Uuestion wor"s Lor objects in t%e genitiMe7
/o2 it=s time Lor6
>ummar) 6 t%e genitiMe interrogatiMe pronouns are
(***@) 3kog o3, 3czego 3
([b[) a Uuestion about t%e 3ins3 (... but not about t%e 3outs3 6))...
... w%ic% makes it a Uuestion about t%e 3abouts3 6)))
( t%e locatiMeArelate" interrogatiMe pronouns6
"(o & k im2 / (o& cz ym2 " >(about) w%oF 4 (about) w%atF@ )
'n" so we Linally arriMe at t%e last stop t%e last substantiMe element in our main eKamplary
sentence t%at we want to make a Uuestion about. .y making a Uuestion about t%at last
substantiMe2 we=re going to learn about t%e interrogatiMe pronouns Lor t%e last remaining case
we %aMen=t coMere" yet %ere t%e locatiMe.
Qet=s recall t%e eKamplary sentence6
31anuela (d1) "a&a ksi(-k (d4) z ciekawymi za"aniami (d5)
kole"ze (d$) swojego kuzyna (d2) "obremu w matematyce (d6).3
7,anuela gave a book with interesting (mathematical) problems
to a !riend o! her cousin (who is) good at maths.7
T%e last element oL t%is sentence we=re going to ask about is t%at 7at math7. Qet=s make a
sensible Uuestion to our eKamplary sentence t%at woul" get us t%e 7at maths7 prepositional
p%rase in answer. P suggest we skip oMer t%e w%ole complication oL w%o is w%ose Lrien" 6)2 as
well as t%e book t%eme2 an" just ask6
7%hat is the !riend good at37
` polonization in progress... 6)
` 7At what is the !riend good37
$ell2 t%e last one must look really ugly to an Tnglis% natiMeAspeaker (because it looks ugly
enoug% to me 6))2 but P c%oose to call t%at correct... an"2 more importantly2 it lets us jump
straig%t to t%e Polis% counterpart6
"W czym (d6) (ten& kolega jest !obry2"
1DU8 the "ten" ("that + the"" is optional8 but since we assume that the person that
is being asked this 9uestion must be certain of the person that we3re asking
about8 putting the 2suggesti*e2 2ten2 makes the 9uestion more natural... Well8
there is another reason for the presence of the 2ten2 there... but that one is
e*en more obscure and e+plaining it would ha*e brought about another lengthy
digression 5444
$%at "o we see in t%e Polis% UuestionF $e see our Lirst interrogatiMe pronoun (t%e Uuestion
wor") Lor t%e locatiMe 3czym (d6)3.
Dow2 let=s t%ink w%y we use a Uuestion wor" Lor t%e locatiMe t%ere. $ell2 we can look back into
t%e section "escribing t%e usage oL t%e locatiMe an" t%at woul" tell us t%at t%e use locatiMe
case is only reUuire" by t%e rekc&a (case goMernment) oL certain prepositions. Qet=s look at t%e
Uuestion an" t%e answer now6
3W (%)) czym (d)) ten kolega (d1) jest !obry2" 7%hat is the !riend good at37
3+n (d1) jest !obry w (%)) matematyce (d)) .3 7/e is good at maths.7
1the nominati*e ; 2matematyka2 1fem.44
$ell2 as you mig%t %aMe notice" earlier2 Polis% uses %ere t%e preposition 3w3 (w%ic% usually
translates into "in")2 w%ile Tnglis% %as t%e 3at3 in t%at place. T%at=s just a Uuestion oL t%e
prepositions not matc%ing eac% ot%er in "iLLerent languages. $e won=t worry about t%at. T%e
t%ing t%at we=re intereste" in is t%at t%e Polis% preposition 3w/we3 goMerns t%e locatiMe2 w%ic%
means t%at iL we %aMe a Uuestion like6
"W w"at % somebo!y% $erb N= !irect objectO%2"9 t%en t%at 3what3 woul" usually
come in t%e locatiMe Mariant = 3czym 1d.43.
ccc
P say 3usually3 because 3w3 is one oL t%ose 7dual rekc&a7 prepositions t%at are Lollowe" by wor"s eit%er in
t%e instrumental 1d"4 or t%e locatiMe 1d.4 in static situations2 an" by wor"s in t%e accusatiMe case 1d-4
in some "ynamic situations2 especially t%ose w%ere t%e notion oL 7motion towards7 comes into play.
's %as just been sai"2 3w/we3 is one oL t%ose prepositions in t%e 3static3 situations it comes wit% t%e
locatiMe2 in t%e 3"ynamic3 ones (3poking3 somet%ing wit% somet%ing2 aiming into somet%ing2
sticking4"riMing one t%ing into anot%er2 etc.) it comes wit% t%e accusatiMe.
T%ereLore2 giMen sentences like6
"Powerzysta (#D) nie wy"amowa i u!erzy w !rzwi (d4) samoc"o!u (#E)."
7The cyclist was unable to slow down and he hit the side o! the car.7
1the nominati*es ; 2drzwi2 1always plural48 2samochBd2 1masc.45
notice that in Polish the *erb 2u!erza2 (to hit, to strike" usually operates on its object
through a preposition 1mostly through the 2w245 2u!erza2 doesn3t use a preposition when
the object of the hitting is an animate substanti*e8 e.g.:
27en c"opiec u!erzy mojego psa 1d-4.2 6 2&his boy hit my dog#2
1not: 2... u#erzy* w !oje"o psa.245
just so that you would ha*e the complete information: the locati*e of 2drzwi2 is
2drzwiach 1d.42 6 of course8 this form is of no use in this sentence4
... or6
"6yszc te sowa9 !ziewczyna (#D) u!erzya go (#F) w twarz (d4) ."
79n hearing these words- the girl hit him in the !ace.7
1the nominati*es ; 2on2 1pers.pron.48 2twarz2 1fem.4.45
the object in this sentence is the 2on28 but the ad*erbial 2w twarz2 is strictly
associated with the *erb8 and so the nature of the action influences the case go*ernment
of the preposition 2w2 in it 1and dictates the use of the accusati*e instead of the
locati*e45
the locati*e of 2twarz2 is 2twarzy 1d.42 6 once again: the use of that form would ha*e
been a language error there4
... we woul" %aMe to ask about t%e object oL t%e preposition 3w" by using an accusatiMe interrogatiMe2 an"
so2 respectiMely2 t%e Uuestions woul" look as Lollows6
3W co (d4) u!erzy rowerzysta (#D)23 7%hat did the cyclist crash into37
3W co (d4) u!erzya go !ziewczyna (#D)23 7%hat did the girl hit him in37
P %ope t%at you Loun" Lairly clear t%is little remin"er oL t%e Lact t%at some prepositions in Polis% present
two "iLLerent case goMernments (t%e 3w/we3 being one oL t%em) an" t%at2 conseUuently2 w%ere t%e
accusatiMe rekc&a applies2 it also applies to t%e interrogatiMe pronoun Lor t%e object oL suc% preposition.
.ut t%e accusatiMe is not our particular business at t%is time2 so let=s leaMe t%e slig%t "igression an" come
back to our locatiMe...
ccc
$e=re going to try making a Lew eKample Uuestions asking about substantiMes prece"e" by
t%e 3locatiMe prepositions36 t%e 3w32 3na32 etc. P=m not listing %ere all t%ose prepositions2 an" P=m
"oing it Lor a purpose or eMen a Lew purposes.
#ne is t%at we just want to see t%e mec%anism2 so we "on=t really nee" to try out eMery
combination. 'not%er is t%at 3na3 is yet one more 7dual rekc&a7 preposition2 an" P really want to
aMoi" making any more oL t%e "igressions like t%e one aboMe... (just ki""ing7 6)).
T%e t%ir"2 an" t%e most important reason2 is t%at in most oL t%e instances oL speaking about
somet%ing being in somet%ing else2 or somet%ing lying on somet%ing else2 etc.2 t%e only
natural way to ask about t%at 3somet%ing else3 is to simply ask 7%here...37. PL t%e wor" t%at
comes aLter t%e 3w3 or t%e 3na3 is just a name Lor a place w%ere somet%ing is situate"2 t%en it=s
only in some special situations t%at you woul" ask 7In what did you... 37 or 79n what will you...
37 "on=t you agreeF Gsually2 you woul" just ask 7%here did / do / will you ... 37
/o2 wit% a sentence like6
3(anuela jest w (r6) !omu (d6).3 7,anuela is at home.7
or6
36amoc"-! stoi na (r6) ulicy (d6).3 7A/The car is standing in the street.7
1the nominati*es ; 2dom2 1masc.48 2ulica2 1fem.45
not a hint of a 2motion towards28 so the prepositions come in their more usual8
primary rekcja 1for them8 that3s the locati*e one44
it woul" be rat%er "aLt to make up Uuestions like6
3W (r6) czym (d6) jest (anuela23 7%hat is ,anuela in37
or
3Ia (r6) czym stoi (d6) samoc"-!23 7%hat is a/the car standing on37
P=m sure you will agree t%at in any language t%e only reasonable way oL asking a Uuestion t%at
woul" get us an answer like "(+na jest& W !omu." (7"hes at home.7)
or "(6toi& Ia ulicy." (7Its (out) in the street.7) must be6
"1!zie jest (anuela2" 7Where is ,anuela37
or
"1!zie stoi samoc"-!2" 7Where is the car (standing)37
#L course2 grammatically speaking t%ose Uuestions a little %ig%er aboMe t%e ones starting
wit% t%e prepositional p%rases "W czym..." an" "Ia czym..." are correct. T%ey are just
pretty weir" also because t%ey make it seem as iL t%e person w%o is asking t%em alrea"y
knew t%e answer6 t%at person appears to know t%at 1anuela is PD somet%ing (w%ile s%e coul"
be out oL any close" spaces) an" t%at t%e car is stan"ing PD4#D somet%ing (w%ile t%e person
answering mig%t just want to say6 7Its over there27). Pn Lact2 t%e obMious naturality oL using t%e
Uuestion pronoun 3g!zie3 to ask about a location %as le" to some prepositional Uuestions
a"opting special2 implicit meanings6
"W czym jest (anuela2" ` "W co ubrana jest (anuela2"
7%hat is ,anuela dressed in37
"(anuela jest w czerwonej bluzie."
7,anuela is in / is wearing a/the red blouse.7
$ell2 "Ia czym stoi samoc"-!2".. .. just looks Mery weir"... 6) ' natiMe Polis% speaker woul"
be rat%er perpleKe" Lacing t%at Uuestion6 Uuite certainly it woul" be one oL %is or %er last
guesses t%at t%is Uuestion mig%t want an answer like 7<a ulicy.7 6) (P suppose a lot oL people
woul" giMe t%e answer t%at Lirst springs to my min"6 3.a ko7ach23 "0n @its@ wheels=" 6)))
#n t%e w%ole2 t%ere aren=t all t%at many locatiMeAgoMerning prepositions (look yourselL into t%e
section on t%e locatiMe in t%e main part oL t%e booklet). #L t%e t%ree t%at go only wit% t%e
locatiMe2 two 3po3 an" 3przy3 again reLer to location in space2 w%ic% means t%at Uuestions
about t%eir objects woul" usually be constructe" wit% t%e interrogatiMe 3g!zie3.
$ell2 t%ere is one eKception %ere... T%e preposition 3po3 can mean "all oer"2 "oer the surface of"2
but it can also mean "after" w%en talking about eMents in time2 w%en "escribing some
c%ronology oL t%ings t%at %appen. 'n"2 no matter w%at t%e meaning2 t%at preposition always
takes t%e locatiMe.
Qet=s see t%en w%at we s%all get iL we try asking in Polis%6 7A!ter whom do you come in37.
T%is eKample Uuestion mig%t seem strange at Lirst2 but giMen a proper conteKt it becomes
perLectly natural6 w%at P=m t%inking about %ere is a scene in a %ospital waiting room people
are sitting on eMery Lree c%air an" a new person wants to know w%o is t%e last in t%e Uueue an"
w%o comes rig%t beLore t%at last person.
$e alrea"y know t%at t%e Uuestion sentence will start wit% 30o 1d.4...3 an" t%at it will
reUuire t%e interrogatiMe pronoun Lor t%e locatiMe (d6) case. $e alrea"y %aMe one Lor material
t%ings (an" animals O)) 3czy m (d))3. Xere we nee" one Lor people (%umans).
T%is is our Uuestion6
30o (%)) kim (d)) 0an/0ani (d1) wc"o!zi23
/o2 %ere we %aMe our personal interrogatiMe pronoun Lor t%e locatiMe6 3kim (d))3.
!ust Lor t%e sake oL symmetry...
... 'ctually2 it=s not easy to make a natural Uuestion t%at woul" start wit% "0o czym..."2
especially one t%at woul" allow making a grammatically similar sentence in Tnglis%. ... \es2 it=s
Uuite "iLLicult... 'll rig%t2 P=ll be content wit% making one t%at is natural in Polis% an" nee"s a
little 3eKtra3 in its translation to Tnglis%6
30o (%)) czym (d)) jest 3i nie!obrze2"
7A!ter (eating) what are you !eeling sick37
1side?note: the way of speaking about feeling sick 19ueasy8 nauseated4 in Polish
is similar to how we e+press the liking of something by means of the refle+i*e
*erb 2podobaG si=2 1we talked about it in the section on the dati*e in the main
part of the booklet45 a few e+amples to illustrate the use of the ad*erb
2nie!obrze2 in that role:
"Jest !i (d$) nie#o$rze." "- feel sick."
"5zy jest 5i (d$) nie#o$rze." "4re you feelin" sick."
")a! (d$) $y*o nie#o$rze." ":e were feelin" sick."4
>P "on=t t%ink t%at 7%fter what are you feeling sick4"2 or eMen 7What are you feeling sick after4"2 is a
sentence soun"ing clear in Tnglis%2 so t%e wor" 7eating7 nee"s to be a""e" in t%e translation.
Pn Polis%2 3Po czym Xi !est niedorzeA3 %as just one Mery apparent meaning one associate" wit%
eating somet%ing ba".@
#K2 so we Loun" 3po3 as one 3locatiMeAcaseAonly3 preposition... $e %aMe also seen t%at it isn=t
probably too oLten t%at we woul" see or make Uuestions w%ose objects woul" come prece"e"
by it.
'n" so we reac% t%e point t%at %as been one oL my goals %ere. Damely t%e preposition 3o3
("about"". $%y are s%oul" we be intereste" in itF .ecause it is a preposition t%at %as a single
type oL rekc&a (case goMernment)6 Lor t%e locatiMe just like 3po3O %oweMer2 unlike 3po32 t%is
preposition is use" a lot bot% wit% %uman an" material objects. $%ic% means t%at bot%
Uuestion types "+ kim...2" an" "+ czym...2" will be Mery natural an" easy to make Lor
w%ateMer noun t%at we may eKpect as t%e answer.
Taking any possible noun at all we can always make a successLul attempt at asking about it
one oL t%ese two Uuestions6
7%ho am I thinking about37
or 7%hat am I thinking about37
w%ic% in Polis% translates2 respectiMely2 as6
"+ 1r.4 kim 1d.4 my)l2"
an"
"+ 1r.4 czy m 1d.4 my)l2"
1... and the *erb 2my)le2 (to think" can e*en be 9uite safely replaced with a
couple of others8 like 2m-wi2 (to talk" or 2pisa2 (to write"4
T%ere=s no "oubt about it2 is t%ereF 6)
'll rig%t2 let=s %aMe a little pause %ere2 because t%at=s a goo" place Lor our stan"ar" summary6
>ummar) 6 t%e interrogatiMe pronouns Lor t%e objects
oL t%e prepositions t%at goMern t%e locatiMe are
(***A) "(o& kim "9 "(o & czym "
Dow P=" like you to notice t%at t%e interrogatiMe pronouns2 t%e pair oL t%em2 use" Lor asking
about substantiMes in t%e instrumental an" t%ose applicable to substantiMes in t%e locatiMe look
absolutely identical it is 3kim / czym3 in bot% cases. T%ereLore2 in or"er to make a
"istinction between t%em2 we ten" to put t%e preposition 3z3 (3wit%3) beLore t%e 3kim / czym3
to s%ow t%at it=s t%e interrogatiMes Lor t%e instrumental case t%at we %aMe on our min"2 an" to
put t%e preposition 3o3 beLore t%ose same Uuestion wor"s w%en we want to make it clear
t%at we=re aLter t%e interrogatiMes Lor a locatiMe object.
T%e c%oice oL t%ese particular pronouns is "ictate" by t%e Lact t%at t%eir case goMernments are
constant t%ere are no alternatiMes Lor t%e "eclension case oL t%e objects oL t%ese
prepositions an" by anot%er Lact6 t%at practically any noun or pronoun can make a sensible
combination wit% t%e prepositions 3wit%3 or 3about3. ($%en P say 3sensible3 P mean natural2
easily Loun" in real language usage.)
#ne clariLication2 in case you mig%t %aMe "oubts iL t%e preposition 3z3 in"ee" serMes to makes
t%ings clear an" unambiguous. $ell2 yes2 P agree 3z3 (or 3z/ze32 to be precise) in Polis% is
also t%e language sign Lor a totally "iLLerent preposition ("from, out of""2 an" t%at one goes
toget%er wit% t%e genitiMe. .ut notice t%at t%ere=s no mistaking between t%e interrogatiMe
pronouns Lor t%e genitiMe ("kogo2 / czego2") an" t%ose Lor t%e instrumental ("kim2 /
czym2"). T%e only inclarity we can %aMe is w%et%er t%e pair ("kim2 / czym2") is2 in a giMen
conteKt2 a pair "esignating t%e instrumental2 or t%e locatiMe. T%e use oL 3z kim...23 or 3z
czym...23 remoMes any "oubts t%at it=s t%e instrumental we=re aLter.
[[[[[
)nd now& since we're not going to look for interrogative pronouns referring to the vocative case...
:))) ...
$%yF7 6 T%ere is simply no way to ask any Uuestions about a wor" place" in t%e
MocatiMe case7 6) (' person being calle" by t%eir name is neit%er t%e subject or an object
("irect or in"irect) oL any action t%e written call to t%eir name "oesn=t "escribe any action. Pt
"oesn=t eMen implicit any action.)
... then we can ask a different& last 'uestion $)) : why that whole lecture about the interrogatie
pronouns for all the cases of the declension4
/f course& one answer could e that it's simply one of the things that a person wanting to speak
Polish needs to know aout the language anyway& and that it happens to e in connection with the
declension system that "'m descriing in this ooklet. ,ell& that's a passale reason& ut not the
true one: if it were the situation& " would have a ig temptation now to move on to other case(
related interrogatives& like the ad!ectivial:
"jaki (d1)F2 jakiego (d2)F2 jakiemu (d$)F2 ..."
( fem#! "jaka (d1)F2 jakiej (d2)F2 jakiej (d$)F2 ..."
neut#! "jakie (d1)F2 jakiego (d2)F2 ...3 )2 or the determinative:
"kt-ry (d1)F2 kt-rego (d2)F2 kt-remu (d$)F2 kt-rego (d4)F2 ..."
( fem#! "kt-ra (d1)F2 kt-rej (d2)F2 kt-rej (d$)F2 kt-r (d4)2 ...2"2
neut#! "kt-re (d1)F2 kt-rego (d2)F2 ...3)...
... well& " do have that temptation and " will proaly yield to it in a se'uel to this ooklet (if
there's going to e one& of course :))... ut for now " have a goal& and that goal is different.
The goal is to present to you these 'uestion words as declension case designators& in which role
they are much used y Polish speakers& and especially y children who are still uilding their
vocaulary& including the inflected forms. The names of the cases ("mianownik9 !openiacz9
...") can e pretty intimidating and they don't help much in associating a given inflected form
with its function and usage. -veryday users of a language need something more practical. )nd so&
while some of them might not rememer the names of all the cases& or know their canonical order&
or even e aware the e*act numer of them& most will know that:
( there is a case (a word(form) that answers the 'uestions
"kto / co 2"
an" t%at t%is is t%e case w%ere t%is 3kto() 4 co()3 is "oing somet%ing2 or %as "one
somet%ing2 or will "o somet%ing... oL course2 we know t%e precise name Lor t%e substantiMe
playing t%is role in a sentence6 it=s t%e sub&ect (...in Polis%6 3podmiot3 O))
(### and the case is, as we know, the nominati*e ("mianownik"""
( there is a case used to answer the 'uestions
"kogo / czego 2"
... as in2 Lor eKample2
"@ogo / 3zego nie ma (g!zie)&2"
(7%ho / %hat isnt there (somewhere)37).
/o2 Lor eKample2 iL a c%il" nee"s to be taug%t t%at one nee"s to use t%e genitiMe object wit%
t%e Merb 3!otyka3 ("to touch"2 t%is Merb %as a constant case goMernment Lor t%e genitiMe)2 t%en
you will tell t%e c%il" t%at it=s 3dotykaK ( kogo4, czego4& a nie: kogo4, co432 an" make it recall t%e
correct way to you say2 Lor eKample2 7There is no !ire in the chimney.7
3, kominku nie ma kogo, czego4
d :zego nie ma w kominkuA
d , kominku nie ma ognia (d2).3
... w%ic% means t%at 7to touch !ire7 is compose" as Lollows6
3!otyka (%2) / kogo9czego2 d czego2 / ognia (d2)
d !otyka ognia (d2)3
#L course2 it is Uuite probable t%at somebo"y mig%t meet t%e noun 3ogieB (d1)3 inLlecte"
into 3ognia (d2)3 in t%e combination 7dotykaM ognia7 earlier t%an in 7nie ma ognia7 6 an" t%e
wor" conteKt in w%ic% you will %aMe seen an" remembere" t%at inLlecte" Lorm may well be
somet%ing yet totally "iLLerent. T%ereLore2 w%en trying to recall t%e correct inLlecte" Lorm oL a
giMen substantiMe2 sometimes you may nee" to run t%roug% your min" a Lew Merbs2
prepositions2 or Merb colligations wit% t%e rekc&a Lor t%e genitiMe2 t%us trying to Lin" a
combination in w%ic% you %aMe alrea"y seen t%e substantiMe inLlecte". )or eKample2 you mig%t
remember t%e proMerb 3.ie ma dymu (d2) ez (r2) ognia (d2).3 ("&here is no smoke without fire#""2
an" t%en2 knowing t%at t%e preposition 3ez3 %as t%e rekc&a Lor t%e genitiMe2 you woul" arriMe
at t%e correct genitiMe Lorm Lor 3Lire3 ] 3ognia (d2)3.
.ut t%e p%rase "@ogo / 3zego nie ma ... 2" is probably t%e one most commonly use" as
a test4reLerence p%rase to c%eck genitiMe substantiMes against2 because oL its uniMersality (it
Lits well wit% practically any substantiMe).
(### so this is what an aerage $ole needs to know
about the geniti*e ("dopeniacz"" ?""
( there is a case to answer the 'uestions
"komu / czemu 2"
... an" t%e conMenient way to continue is to go wit%6
"@omu / 3zemu si przygl!am2"
(7%ho / %hat am I looking in(uisitively at37).
'gain 3przygl!a si3 is one t%e Lew Merbs wit% a (constant) "atiMe case goMernment2
an"2 a""itionally2 it is a Merb can be use" to make sensible Uuestions about most substantiMes.
T%ere=s also a big likeli%oo" t%at2 iL you=Me eMer seen t%e "atiMe Lorm oL a giMen substantiMe2
you woul" %aMe seen it in a conteKt oL t%is Merb.
Qet=s %aMe a %ypot%etical situation t%at we want to say 7This cat is cold.7 (... in t%e sense
t%at it is suLLering Lrom low ambient temperature2 not t%at it=s "ea"... 6))O we will also assume
t%at we remember t%e Lormat oL t%e "atiMe p%rase t%at we s%oul" use in suc% situation66
3@omu()& / 3zemu()& (d$) jest zimno.3. $e s%oul" now try to remember t%e Lorm oL
3(ten& kot (d1)3 t%at Lits t%e sentence6 "0rzygl!am si (komu2/czemu2& ..." ...
d PL we=re lucky we may recall t%at t%is sentence2 wit% cat in it 6)2 will rea"6
3Przygl[dam siN (temu) kotu (d$).3
... 'n" we know t%at t%e stencil "komu2/czemu2 / temu kotu" will also Lit t%e sentence we
want to construct6
"@omu()& / 3zemu()& jest zimno." d 3Temu kotu (d$) !est zimno.3
'gain2 t%ere=s no guarantee t%at t%e situation will not be t%e opposite2 in ot%er wor"s6 t%at
you=" %aMe seen 3kot3 inLlecte" into 3kotu3 in 3Temu kotu !est zimno.3 earlier t%an in 3Przygl[dam
siN temu kotu.3. auite probably2 you may remember t%at inLlecte" Lorm in a conteKt "iLLerent
Lrom t%ose two mentione" Lor eKample2 in a sentence like6
3Xodziennie z rana da!N mo!emu kotu (d$) miseczkN mleka.3
("Aeryday in the morning, I gie my cat a little bowl of milk#""
T%e important t%ing is t%at ( w%ile it=s Mery goo" t%at you=" be counscious oL t%is "mojemu
kotu" being calle" the dative !orm you woul" also try getting into t%e %abit oL looking at
an" memorizing sentences wit% t%ese 3"econstructiMe3 interrogatiMes paste" in6
3Xodziennie z rana da!N ((!a&ul"a"ive r$), r4)
(/komu2 / czemu2/& mo!emu kotu (d$)
/kogo2 / co2/ miseczkN (d4) /kogo2 / czego2/ mleka (d2).3
1Cegarding the last 2kogoN/czegoN2: always when ha*ing two nouns back?to?back8
the second one will be in this possessi*e/categorizing function that is
described by the use of the 2of2 in :nglish. 7t is especially true where the
first of the nouns is a name of a container: a bowl8 bo+8 packet8 etc.4
1emorizing t%e 3"econstructiMe Lorm3 oL a sentence is %elpLul in being t%en able to get Uuick
mental access to a "esire" inLlection Lorm oL a substantiMe. .ase" on t%e sentence Lrom t%e
preMious eKample2 we can Uuickly buil" a sentence like6 7,y cat doesnt like the new toy.76
3/3omu(/" + :zemu(/"; nie podoa siN nowa zaawka (d1).3
d kom u2 / c zem u2 / m oje mu kot u
d 3(komu2 / czemu2& 0o!emu kotu nie podoa siN nowa zaawka.3
(###and, just for a reminder, the case we'e been talking about here
is the dati*e ("celownik"""
( there is a case to answer the 'uestions
"kogo / co 2"
... an" t%ere is an awLully long list oL %an"y continuations2 because as we know
t%ese are t%e interrogatiMe pronouns Lor t%e accusatiMe2 w%ic% is t%e stan"ar" case Lor a "irect
object. T%is means t%at you=re Uuite Lree to take your pick yet2 one oL t%e most popular
3testing3 Merbs use" is 3wi!zie3 (to see". T%en2 trying to Lin" t%e accusatiMe inLlection Lorm oL a
giMen substantiMe turns into trying to come up wit% suc% Lorm as to answer correctly t%e
Uuestion6
"@ogo / 3o wi!z2"
)or eKample6
3truskawka (d1)3 d "@ogo / 3o wi!z2"
d "Wi!z /kogo2/co2/ truskawk (d4)."
P "on=t %aMe an i"ea oL w%at to say more %ere... apart Lrom one t%ing w%ile all cases are oL
eUual importance an" t%ere=s no way to speak a really correct Polis% wit%out t%e ability to put
most substantiMes into any oL t%e e "eclension cases2 yet t%e accusatiMe an" t%e genitiMe are
t%e two t%at you "eLinitely s%oul" pay a special attention to2 because most t%ings will become
"irect objects oL some action sooner or later in t%e sentences you will want to make.
(### and that's all in the way of commentary for the accusati*e ("biernik"" !""
( there is a case to answer the 'uestions
"z kim / z czym 2"
a goo" Lull Uuestion sentence in t%is case seems to be6
"H kim / H czym nie mam problem-w2
(7%ho / %hat do I not have problems with37)
... eMen t%oug% t%ere are some particular substantiMes t%at t%is Uuestion mig%t not per%aps be
t%e most Lortunate Lor 6) )or eKample2 7truskawka76
3\ kim E \ czym nie mam prolem]wA
.ie mam prolem]w z truskawk[ (d5).3
#kay2 a sentence6 "I don't hae problems with a strawberry#" does look stupi" 6)2 an" maybe it isn=t
somet%ing t%at you woul" want to memorize as a conteKtual sentence Lor t%e instrumental
Lorm oL a noun like t%at. Deit%er may you want to c%eck a noun like 7truskawka7 against t%e
back"rop oL t%is sentence to see iL it looks an" soun"s #K (because somet%ing t%at looks an"
soun"s silly %as a "iLLiculty in appearing rig%t 6))...
$ell2 P cannot "eny t%at.. .ut2 oMerall2 t%at 3test sentence3 is goo" an" pretty uniMersalO
besi"es2 it=s not so t%at it is LiKe" an" Linite2 an" t%at we cannot mo"iLy it to better Lit particular
circumstances... !ust imagine a situation somebo"y reLuses to eat a strawberry2 because it
"oesn=t seem Lres% enoug% to t%at person. 'not%er person says2 %oweMer6 7I dont have a
problem with this strawberry. I can eat it.7. Dow2 t%ere=s not%ing particularly unnatural about
those sentences2 rig%tF Xere we go t%en6
"this strawberry" ` 3ta truskawka3
"a problem" ` 3prolem3 ` 3.ie mam ;kogo4 + czego4; prolemu (#E)3
(P=m sure t%at you alrea"y know w%y it=s 3prolemu (#E)3 (or 3prolem]w (#E)32 in t%e earlier
sentence) 6))
'n"2 t%e beginning oL our test4reLerence sentence slig%tly reworke"2 we can now apply it to
%elp us remember t%e instrumental Lor 3truskawka366
3<a nie mam prolemu ;z kim4 + z czym4; z t[ truskawk[ (d5).
(<a mogN ![ z!eLK.)3O
$it% many substantiMes t%ere will be no nee" to employ muc% imagination or inMentiMeness2
t%oug%6
>"kot"
3\ kim E \ czym nie mam prolem]wA3
3.ie mam prolem]w ;z kim4+z czym4; z kotem (d5).3
>"!ziecko"
3\ kim E \ czym nie mam prolem]wA3
3.ie mam prolem]w ;z kim4+z czym4; z dzieckiem (d5).3
$ell... P now t%oug%t oL t%e noun 3prolem3 itselL 6) "I hae no problems with a problem#" looks
Lantastically p%ilosop%ical 6)) #K2 t%ere will naturally be Uuite a number oL eKceptions Lor w%ic%
t%is p%rase will be a useless conteKt. GniMersal solutions are %ar"ly eMer bulletAprooL 6) Pt=s
eMen better iL you "on=t cling to just one conteKt at absolutely all times but it=s also goo" iL
t%ere is one t%at you can try wit% most substantiMes. (Pn general2 t%e more conteKts you see a
wor" in2 t%e better a c%ance it nests in your memory). )or t%e noun 3prolem3 (or 3prolemy
(plural)3) it=s apparently better to use a conteKt as Lollows6
3\ kim E \ czym trzea siN zmierzyKA3
("Who + What is there a need to face + to confront4""
3Trzea zmierzyK siN ;z kim4+z czym4; z prolemem (d5).3
("0ne has to face a problem#""
3Trzea zmierzyK siN ;z kim4+z czym4; z prolemami (pl.,d5).3
("0ne has to face problems#""
(###those were notes on conte)tual 9uestions for the instrumental ("narz5dnik"""
( there is a case to answer the 'uestions
"o kim / o czym 2"
to complete a conteKtual Uuestion you can go Lor any oL t%e popular Merbs t%at come
Lollowe" by t%e preposition 3about3 3my)le3 (to think"2 3m-wi3 (to speak"2 3rozmawia3 (to
talk, to conerse"O Lor eKample6
3/ kim E / czym teraz myLlNA3
("Who + What am I now thinking about4""
... Xmm... 'n" P suggest t%at we accept one can t%ink about anyt%ing... eMen about a
strawberry 6)) ... #%2 P Lorgot about t%e Merb 3marzy (o czym)&3 (to dream (about sth", to crae
(after sth"" 7 6)
Qet=s try t%at one...6
3(du^a& czerwona) truskawka3 ((a big red" strawberry"
3/ kim E / czym czNsto marzNA3 (Who + What do I often dream about4"
30arzN czNsto ;o kim4+o czym4; o du^e!& czerwone! truskawce (d6).3
("I often dream about a (big red" strawberry#""
Qet=s make t%e 3locatiMe reLerenceAUuestions3 Lor our two ot%er nouns 3onAcall3 6)
>"(jej& kot" ((her" cat"
3/ kim E / czym nie luiN rozmawiaKA3
("Who + What do I not like to talk about4""
3.ie luiN rozmawiaK ;o kim4+o czym4; o (!e!) kocie (d6).3
("I don't like to talk about (her" cat#""
>"(jego& !ziecko" ((his" child"
3/ kim E / czym luiN m]wiKA3
("Who + What do I like to speak about4""
3CuiN m]wiK ;o kim4+o czym4; o (!ego) dziecku (d6).3
("I like to speak about (his" child#""
(###those were notes on conte)tual 9uestions for the locati*e ("narz5dnik"""
A an"2 w%ile eMerybo"y knows t%at t%ere is no way to ask a Uuestion t%at woul" get a
MocatiMe in return2 an" we can=t speak oL an actual conteKtual sentence Lor a wor" in
t%at "eclension case2 it is customary to a"" an eKpletiMe like 3och3 or 3he!3 to "enote a
stan"Aalone MocatiMe (w%en t%ere=s no teKt coteKt to make t%e "eclension case selLA
eMi"ent)6
34e!& kocie (d+)23 ("-ey, (you" cat=""
3/ch& truskawko (d+)23 ("0h, (you" strawberry=""
3/ch& dziecko (d+)...3 ("0h, you child###""
(### and that's the *ocati*e ("woacz"""
(YYY)
"'m going to give you a summary listing of the cases and the 'uestions they answer. #efore " do it&
though& let me clarify one thing. ,hile introducing to you the 3conte*tual 'uestions3 " kept saying
that they help memorize the inflection forms (or help make the 3test of the ear3 for a form you're
trying to ring up from your memory). That is definitely so2 " only don't want you to get an
impression that the inflection forms are so unpredictale that the only route to knowing them is
learning them y heart (in conte*ts). "t is not so the declension patterns are mostly regular. ,ith
time you're going to see the patterns$ maye you will even want to analize and rememer some of
them. Personally& " would rather count on a suconscious recognition and application of the
patterns. /f course& " may e in the wrong with my approach$ the truth is& though& that hardly any
native speaker of Polish (even a well(educated one) knows those patterns in an analitical way. ,e
!ust have a 3feel3 for them. )nd the way we get that feel is y rememering the shapes of some
inflected forms as we see them properly used in conte*ts that re'uire them this lets our minds
grasp the patterns and then carry them over to other similar words (similar in their shape& having
the same gender& eing animate or inanimate& etc.).
+hould you& however& adly crave to know the mechanisms that you can apply to find the right
inflected forms... well& " gave you the link in the preface& ut " can repeat it here (... together with an
advice not to do it& unless you have a ad itching for it :)) :
http://free.of.pl/g/grzegorj/gram/en/odmiana,.html
(YYY)
+o& let's move on 'uickly to the promised summary:
"? "eclension case one pierwszy przypa"ek "eklinacji
the nominati*e 6 mianownik
c%aracterizing interrogatiMes6
ktoN / coN
t%is is t%e basic Lorm oL a substantiMe2 so t%ere=s %ar"ly a nee" to make conteKtual Uuestion
an" answer sentences Lor it2 but we can make t%em %ere as well6
Uto / !o to jestN
answers6
7o jest 1ktoN / coN4 kot (d1).
7o jest 1ktoN / coN4 truskawka (d1).
7o jest 1ktoN / coN4 !ziecko (d1).
...
"B "eclension case two "rugi przypa"ek "eklinacji
the geniti*e 6 dope<niacz
c%aracterizing interrogatiMes6
kogoN / czegoN
a stan"ar" conteKtual Uuestion6
Uogo / !zego tu nie maN
answers6
7u nie ma 1kogoN / czegoN4 kota (d2).
7u nie ma 1kogoN / czegoN4 truskawki (d2).
7u nie ma 1kogoN / czegoN4 !ziecka (d2).
...
"V "eclension case t%ree trzeci przypa"ek "eklinacji
the dati*e 6 celownik
c%aracterizing interrogatiMes6
komuN / czemuN
a stan"ar" conteKtual Uuestion6
Uomu / !zemu si= przyglRdamN
answers6
0rzygl!am si 1komuN / czemuN4 kotu (d$).
0rzygl!am si 1komuN / czemuN4 truskawce (d$).
0rzygl!am si 1komuN / czemuN4 !ziecku (d$).
...
"W "eclension case Lour czwarty przypa"ek "eklinacji
the accusati*e 6 biernik
c%aracterizing interrogatiMes6
kogoN / coN
a stan"ar" conteKtual Uuestion6
Uogo / !o widz=N
answers6
Wi!z 1kogoN / coN4 kota (d4).
Wi!z 1kogoN / coN4 truskawk (d4).
Wi!z 1kogoN / coN4 !ziecko (d4).
...
"Y "eclension case LiMe pi(ty przypa"ek "eklinacji
the instrumental 6 narz=dnik
c%aracterizing interrogatiMes6
z kimN / z czymN
a 3stan"ar"3 conteKtual Uuestion (oL my personal inMention O))6
_ Uim / _ czym nie mam problemBwN
(note that from the grammatical point of view it wouldn't have made a difference if this 'uestion
was 3_ kimN / _ czym mam problemyN3: the instrumental is the case wanted for the o!ect
of this sentence anyway$ the choice is only dictated y my preferrence for the positive message :))
answers6
Iie mam problem-w 1z kimN / z czymN4 z kotem (d5).
Iie mam problem-w 1z kimN / z czymN4 z (t& truskawk (d5).
Iie mam problem-w 1z kimN / z czymN4 z !zieckiem (d5).
...
"b "eclension case siK sz0sty przypa"ek "eklinacji
the locati*e 6 miejscownik
c%aracterizing interrogatiMes6
o kimN / o czymN
a stan"ar" conteKtual Uuestion (one oL a c%oice)6
D Uim / D czym 1teraz4 myLl=N
answers6
(7eraz& (y)l 1o kimN / o czymN4 o kocie (d6).
(7eraz& (y)l 1o kimN / o czymN4 o truskawce (d6).
(7eraz& (y)l 1o kimN / o czymN4 o !ziecku (d6).
...
"e "eclension case seMen si0"my przypa"ek "eklinacji
t%e MocatiMe wo&acz
t%e case is use" as a Lorm oL personal a""ress an" in eKclamations2 t%ereLore2 t%e only
conteKtual %elp can come in t%e Lorm oL interjections an" calling wor"s2 like6
Dch8 >ch8 Kej8 !zeLG8 Witaj8 ...
t%e noun "enoting a person or (rarely) a t%ing t%us a""resse"2 place" aLter one oL t%ese
interjections2 comes in t%e MocatiMe6
Witaj9 kocie. (d+)
+c"9 truskawko. (d+)
Mej9 !ziecko. (d+)
...
/kay... ,hat's there to sayA ,e're done2 :))
This ooklet most certainly does not e*haust what " can say aout the Polish declension :)) /ne
important thing that has een left out are the three more interrogatives E suordinate clause
introducing pronouns that follow the declension they are:
A 3kt-ry 1masc.4 4 kt-ra 1fem.4 4 kt-re 1neut.4..
..kt-re 1pl.non?personmasc.4 4 kt-rzy 1pl.person?masc.43
(Aw%ic% is pretty muc% eUuiMalent to t%e Tnglis% 3w%ic%3)2
A 3jaki 4 jaka 4 jakie .. jakie 4 jacy3
(Aw%ic% is more tricky to "escribe s%ortly2 as it "oesn=t %aMe a simple counterpart in
Tnglis%2 but w%ic% is use" to ask Uuestions about what something is like2 an" to intro"uce
subor"inate clauses starting in Tnglis%6 7... like these/those that...7)2
A 3czyj 4 czyja 4 czyje .. czyje 4 czyi3
(Aw%ic%2 actually2 we have talke" a bit about w%en "iscoMering t%e interrogatiMes t%at
c%aracterize t%e genitiMe case6 3czyj3 correspon"s to t%e Tnglis% "whose"2 but applies only to
%uman possessors).
Hull declension patterns for those three would also let us define the declension suffi*es for the
ad!ectives (they are 'uite regular and the patterns are not too comple* there) and for the personal
possessives. "t would e very useful& too& if we got to talk aout the inflection patterns for the
personal pronouns.
4owever& all of those matters would re'uire us to e*plain a few additional intricacies of Polish
grammar in a little more detail& (for e*ample: the difference etween the personal*masculine and
the non*personal*masculine plural gender)& and that would further pump the ooklet's size.
The idea for this guide was to familiarize you with the declension and show you how is it used to
give you the 3where& when& and why3 to the system. )nd even that on a modest scale and in a
limited scope& ecause: a) "'m not a professional philologist$ ) " was hoping to make the guide
simple and inviting. " feel " have failed on that second goal with the volume of this document as it is
all the more reason not to cram more stuff into it :)
.oody is saying that this must e my one and only production& though :)))
Hor the time eing " hope you en!oy (to a degree& at least :)) learning from what you have here. "
wish it can enefit your Polish2
barsorro
Heel welcome to write me with your douts& 'uestions& and suggestions:
sobarso`gazeta.pl