Language/Polish/Grammar/Plurals

Polish Grammar - Plurals

Hi Polish learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn how to form plurals in Polish. The Polish language has seven different cases, and it is important to understand the rules of forming plurals for each case. Let's dive into it!

Basic Rules for Forming Plurals

In Polish, most nouns follow a set of basic rules for forming plurals. The endings of the nouns change to reflect the number of items or people being referred to. Here are some examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
dziewczyna	dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nah	girl(s)
chłopak	hwaw-pahk	boy(s)
książka	kshawn-zh-kah	book(s)
stół	stoow	table(s)
rower	roh-vehrr	bicycle(s)
miasto	myah-staw	city(-ies)
ulica	ool-eet-sah	street(s)

There are different rules for forming plurals for masculine and feminine nouns in Polish. In general, for masculine nouns ending in a consonant, the ending -i is added in the nominative plural. For feminine nouns ending in -a, the -a is replaced with -i in the nominative plural. Nouns ending in -o or -e may change to -a or -y in the nominative plural.

Note that some nouns have irregular plurals and must be learned individually. For example:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
dziecko	dyeh-t's-koh	child(-ren)
koń	kohn	horse(s)
drzewo	d'zheh-voh	tree(s)
zamek	zah-mehk	castle(s)
ręka	rehn-kah	hand(s)

Learning these exceptions takes time and a lot of practice.

Plurals in Different Cases

In Polish, each noun has seven different cases. The declension of a noun can affect the way the plural is formed. Here are examples of plural forms in different cases:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
dziewczyna	dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nah	Nominative: girl(s)

Polish	Pronunciation	English
dziewczyny	dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nih	Genitive: of girl(s)

Polish	Pronunciation	English
dziewczynom	dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nuhm	Dative: to/for girl(s)

Polish	Pronunciation	English
dziewczyny	dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nih	Accusative: girl(s)

Polish	Pronunciation	English
dziewczynami	dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nah-mee	Instrumental: with girl(s)

Polish	Pronunciation	English
o dziewczynach	oh dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nahh	Locative: about girl(s)

Polish	Pronunciation	English
o dziewczynach	oh dyeh-vchooh-zhih-nahh	Vocative: O girl(s)

As you can see, the endings of the nouns change according to the cases in the above examples. Therefore, it is important to memorize the nouns in different cases and practice them.

Special Cases

In some cases, the plural in Polish does not follow a regular pattern. Here are some examples:

1. Plurals of foreign words - In the case of nouns that are borrowed from other languages, the plural is often formed by adding -y or -i, depending on the noun.

Polish	Pronunciation	English
hotel	hoh-tehl	hotel(s)
hoteliki	hoh-teh-lee-kee	little hotel(s)
szef	shef	boss(es)
szefowie	sheh-foh-vee-eh	bosses

2. Plurals of shortened words - When a noun is shortened or clipped, its plural can be formed by adding -y, -i or -owie, depending on the noun.

Polish	Pronunciation	English
fura	foo-rah	van(s) [short for furgonetka]
furki	foo-rkee	vans [pl. of furgonetki]
róg	roog	corner(s)
rogi	roh-ghee	corners
student	stoo-dehnt	student(s)
studenci	stoo-dehnt-see	students

Practice Makes Perfect!

The best way to learn how to form plurals in Polish is to practice, practice, practice! Listen to Polish music, watch movies in Polish, and read Polish texts to become more familiar with how words are changed to express different meanings.

To improve your Polish Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Dialogue

• Person 1: Ile penków masz w swoim pokoju? (How many pens do you have in your room?)
• Person 2: Mam pięć długopisów i trzy ołówki. (I have five pens and three pencils.)

• Person 1: Gdzie są twoje książki? (Where are your books?)
• Person 2: Na półce w pokoju. (On the shelf in the room.)

Sources

• Polish/Nouns - Number - Wikibooks, open books for an open world
• Polish Cases: The Nominative (mianownik) | Mówić po polsku
• Polish grammar - Wikipedia

Related Lessons

• Perfective and imperfective verbs
• Pronouns
• Definite Articles in Polish
• być to be
• Past Participle in Polish
• How to Use Be
• Personal pronouns
• How to Use Have
• Nouns
• How to Use be