Language/Polish/Grammar/Nouns-and-Gender
In this lesson, you will learn about the gender of Polish nouns and how to use them in sentences.
Gender in Polish
In Polish, every noun has a gender: masculine, feminine or neuter. Unlike in English, where gendered nouns are mostly determined by biological sex, Polish gendered nouns are mostly determined by the form of the word. Therefore, even inanimate objects have a grammatical gender in Polish.
Learning the gender of a noun is essential to forming correct sentences and matching the correct pronouns, adjectives, and verb conjugations.
Gender Categories
Here are some general rules to help you determine the gender of Polish nouns:
- Masculine nouns usually end in consonants other than -a, -e, or -o.
- Feminine nouns usually end in -a or -e.
- Neuter nouns usually end in -o or -e (with the exception of some loanwords).
Of course, there are many exceptions to these rules, so it’s essential to memorize the gender of each noun individually.
Examples
Here are some examples of commonly used Polish nouns grouped by gender:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| dom | dom | house (masculine) |
| pies | pyes | dog (masculine) |
| kawa | kava | coffee (feminine) |
| powieść | po-vyenshch | novel (feminine) |
| wino | vee-no | wine (neuter) |
| miasto | mee-ash-to | city (neuter) |
Articles and Adjectives
In Polish, articles and adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they modify.
- For example, to say "the big house" you would use "duży" for masculine, "duża" for feminine, and "duże" for neuter:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| duży dom | doo-zhi dom | the big house (masculine) |
| duża kawa | doo-zha kava | the big coffee (feminine) |
| duże wino | doo-zhe vee-no | the big wine (neuter) |
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns are also gendered in Polish. The possessive pronoun for masculine nouns is "jego", for feminine nouns is "jej", and for neuter nouns is "jego" (same as masculine).
- For Example:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Jego pies jest mały. | yeh-go pyes yest ma-wii | His dog is small. (masculine) |
| Jej sukienka jest czerwona. | yey soo-kyen-ka yest chehr-vo-na | Her dress is red. (feminine) |
| Jego krzesło jest wygodne. | yeh-go kshesh-wo yest vi-god-neh | His chair is comfortable. (neuter) |
Conclusion
Remembering the gender of Polish nouns may seem difficult at first, but with practice, it will become second nature. Knowing the gender of a noun is essential in forming correct sentences in Polish.
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