Language/Polish/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Polish Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Polish learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use "have" in Polish. "Have" is a very important verb that we use in many different situations. We will go over each use of "have" and provide examples to help you understand better.
Don't forget to use Find native speakers and ask them any questions. Let's get started!

Present Tense

In the present tense, "have" is usually translated to "mieć" or "posiadać" in Polish. Both of these verbs can be used interchangeably, but "mieć" is more commonly used in everyday conversation.

Here is a table with examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Mam kotka.	[ma:m kɔt.ka]	I have a cat.
Nie mam samochodu.	[ɲɛ mam sa.mɔ'xɔdu]	I don't have a car.
Czy masz czas?	[tʂɨ masz tʂas]	Do you have time?

As you can see, "mieć" is conjugated like a regular verb in the present tense:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Ja mam	[ja mam]	I have
Ty masz	[tɨ masz]	You have
On/Ona/Ono ma	[ɔn/ɔna/ɔnɔ ma]	He/She/It has

Past Tense

In the past tense, "have" is translated to "mieć" but it is conjugated differently. The past tense of "mieć" is "miał" and the past tense of "posiadać" is "posiadał". However, "posiadać" is less commonly used in the past tense.

Here is a table with examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Miałem samochód.	[mjaw.ɛm sa.mɔ'xɔt]	I had a car.
Nie miałeś czasu.	[ɲɛ mijɛɕ 'tʂasu]	You didn't have time.
Czy miał Piotr pieniądze?	[tʂɨ mijaw pjɔtr pʲɛ'ɲɔndzɛ]	Did Peter have money?

Here is the conjugation of "mieć" in the past tense:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Ja miałem	[ja mjaw.ɛm]	I had
Ty miałeś	[tɨ mijɛɕ]	You had
On/Ona/Ono miał	[ɔn/ɔna/ɔnɔ mijaw]	He/She/It had

Future Tense

In the future tense, "have" is translated to "mieć" or "posiadać" just like in the present tense. The future tense in Polish is formed by adding the appropriate ending to the infinitive form of the verb.

Here is a table with examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Będę mieć psa.	[bɛndɛ mjɛʨ psa]	I will have a dog.
Nie będziesz miał czasu.	[ɲɛ bɛndʑɛʂ mjaw tʂasu]	You won't have time.
Czy Piotr będzie posiadał samochód?	[tʂɨ pjɔtr bɛndɛ posiadaw sa.mɔ'xɔt]	Will Peter have a car?

The conjugation of "mieć" and "posiadać" in the future tense is as follows:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Ja będę mieć	[ja bɛndɛ mjɛʨ]	I will have	Ty będziesz mieć	[tɨ bɛndʑɛʂ mjɛɕ]	You will have	On/Ona/Ono będzie mieć	[ɔn/ɔna/ɔnɔ bɛndɛ mjɛɕ]	He/She/It will have

Perfective Aspect

In the perfective aspect, "have" is translated to "mieć" and "posiadać" is not used. The perfective aspect implies that the action has been completed.

Here is a table with examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Miałem już śniadanie.	[mjaw.ɛm juʐ ɕɲadaɲɛ]	I have already had breakfast.
Nie miałeś czasu na to.	[ɲɛ mijɛɕ tʂasu na tɔ]	You didn't have time for that.
Czy mieliście okazję zobaczyć teatr?	[tʂɨ mʲɛ'ljɪɕtʲɛ ɔ'kazjɛ zɔ'batʂɨtɕ 'tɛatr]	Did you have the chance to see the theater?

The conjugation of "mieć" in the perfective aspect is similar to the past tense:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Ja miałem	[ja mjaw.ɛm]	I had	Ty miałeś	[tɨ mijɛɕ]	You had	On/Ona/Ono miał	[ɔn/ɔna/ɔnɔ mijaw]	He/She/It had

Imperative

In the imperative, we use the second person singular and plural to give orders or commands. Both "mieć" and "posiadać" can be used in the imperative.

Here is a table with examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Miej tylko cierpliwość!	[mɛj 'tɔlkɔ t͡ɕɛrpˈlivɔɕt͡ɕ]	Just have patience!
Macie wy coś do jedzenia?	[ˈmat͡ɕɛ vɨ ʦɔɕ dɔ jɛdˈʐɛɲa]	Do you have anything to eat?
Niech Piotr posiada więcej pieniędzy.	[ɲɛx pjɔtr pɔsi'ada ˈvʲɛʨɛj pʲɛ'ɲɔndzɨ]	Let Peter have more money.

Dialogue

Here is a dialogue so you can see these phrases in context:

• Person 1: Czy masz samochód? ([Do you have a car?])
• Person 2: Tak, mam mały samochód. ([Yes, I have a small car.])
• Person 1: A czy miałeś kiedyś wypadek? ([Have you ever had an accident?])
• Person 2: Nie, na szczęście nigdy nie miałem. ([No, I've never had one, luckily.])

Practice Exercises

Practice using "have" in Polish with these exercises:

1. Czy _________ czas na kawę? (Do you have time for coffee?) 2. Kiedy _________ jutro wolne? (When do you have free time tomorrow?) 3. On _________ samochód, nie ma potrzeby wynajmowania. (He has a car, there is no need to rent one.) 4. _________ dzieci? (Do you have children?) 5. Mamy _________ okazję zobaczyć Warszawę. (We have the opportunity to see Warsaw.) 6. Niech ona _________ więcej wyrozumiałości. (Let her have more understanding.)

Answers: 1. masz; 2. będziesz miał; 3. posiada; 4. Macie; 5. mamy; 6. ma

Keep practicing and soon you will be a master at using "have" in Polish! 😎

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