Language/Polish/Grammar/Adjective-Agreement
As you continue your journey to learn Polish, you will come across adjectives, which are words that describe nouns. Adjectives are an essential part of the Polish language and can help you express yourself more effectively. In this lesson, we will explore how to use adjectives correctly, focusing specifically on adjective agreement in Polish.
Adjective agreement refers to the way a Polish adjective changes according to the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. This means that adjectives have to agree with the gender of the noun, the number of the noun, and the case the noun is in. So let's dive into the rules of adjective agreement in Polish and learn how to use adjectives correctly.
Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Definite and Indefinite Articles & Adverbs.
Gender Agreement
Unlike in English, Polish nouns have grammatical gender. There are three genders in Polish: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they describe. Let's have a look at some examples to understand how to make adjectives agree with nouns in gender:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| duż-y "duż" !! /dooʐɨ/ !! big (masculine) | ||
| ma-ł-y "may" | /mah-wɨ/ | small (masculine) |
| duż-a "duż" | /dooʐa/ | big (feminine) |
| ma-ł-a "may" | /mah-wa/ | small (feminine) |
| duż-e "duże" | /dooʐɛ/ | big (neuter) |
| ma-ł-e "mah-we" | /ma-wɛ/ | small (neuter) |
As you can see from the table, adjectives that describe masculine nouns end in "-y" in their basic form, while adjectives that describe feminine nouns end in "-a" in their basic form. For neuter nouns, the adjectives end in "-e".
To make an adjective agree with the noun in gender, we need to use the appropriate ending. Here is an example:
- duż-y dom – (a) big house (masculine)
- duż-a książka – (a) big book (feminine)
- duż-e dziecko – (a) big child (neuter)
It is important to pay attention to the gender of a noun when choosing the correct form of an adjective.
Number Agreement
In Polish, nouns can be either singular or plural, and adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in number. Here are some examples of how to make adjectives agree with nouns in number:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mądr-y "monder" !! /mɔndɛr/ !! wise (singular) | ||
| mądr-zy "manjer-zih" | /mɔndɛrzɨ/ | wise (plural) |
| wie-ksz-a "viexza" | /vjɛksza/ | bigger (feminine, singular) |
| wie-ksz-e "viexzeh" | /vjɛkszɛ/ | bigger (neuter, singular) |
| wie-ksz-e "viexzeh" | /vjɛkszɛ/ | bigger (plural) |
| wie-ksz-ych "viexzih" | /vjɛkszɨx/ | bigger (plural) |
As you can see from the table, adjectives that describe singular nouns end in "-y" or "-a" or "-e" depending on the gender. When the noun is plural, the adjective form ends in "-i" or "-e".
Here is an example:
- mądr-y człowiek – wise person (singular)
- mądr-zy ludzie – wise people (plural)
Case Agreement
The third aspect of adjective agreement in Polish is case. Polish has seven cases, and each case requires a different form of the adjective. Here are the seven cases and their corresponding forms of the adjective:
| Polish Case | Adjective Form |
|---|---|
| Nominative | -y/-a/-e (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| Genitive | -ego/-ej/-ego (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| Dative | -emu/-ej/-emu (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| Accusative | -ego/-ą/-e (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| Instrumental | -ym/-ą/-ym (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| Locative | -ym/-ej/-ym (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| Vocative | -y/-a/-e (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
When an adjective modifies a noun, it can be in any of these seven cases. Here are some common examples:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| polski "pole-ski" !! /ˈpɔlskʲi/ !! Polish (masculine, nominative) | ||
| młoda "mwoda" | /ˈmwɔda/ | young (feminine, nominative) |
| nowe "nov-eh" | /ˈnɔvɛ/ | new (neuter, nominative) |
| czerwony "tzer-voh-ny" | /tʂɛrˈvɔnɨ/ | red (masculine, accusative) |
| jasne "yas-neh" | /ˈjasnɛ/ | bright (neuter, accusative) |
| ogromna "o-grome-nah" | /ɔˈɡrɔmna/ | huge (feminine, locative) |
Adjective agreement in case can be tricky, so it's important to practice with different examples to get the hang of it.
Exceptions
As with any rule, there are exceptions to adjective agreement in Polish. Sometimes, an adjective won't take the expected ending because of irregularities in the spelling. Here are some common exceptions:
| Polish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| dob-r-y "dobri" !! /ˈdɔ.brɨ/ !! good (masculine) | ||
| zły "zwi" | /zwɨ/ | bad (masculine) |
| ma-ły "may-wih" | /ma.wɨ/ | small (masculine) |
As you can see from the table, some adjectives ending in "-y" in the masculine form will change the spelling of the ending when cases are added. For example, "dobry" becomes "dobrego" in the genitive case, and "zły" becomes "źle" in the adverbial form. Similarly, some adjectives ending in "-ły" in the masculine form will change the spelling of the ending when cases are added. For example, "mały" becomes "małego" in the genitive case.
It's important to learn these exceptions because they don't follow the regular pattern of adjective agreement in Polish.
Summary
Adjective agreement is an essential part of the Polish language. By understanding how to make adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and case, you can avoid common mistakes in your writing and speaking. Remember that the rules for adjective agreement can be tricky, but with practice, you'll get the hang of it.
Here are some tips to help you remember the rules for adjective agreement:
- Pay attention to the gender, number, and case of the noun you are describing.
- Learn the various forms of the adjective for each gender, number, and case.
- Memorize the exceptions to the regular patterns of adjective agreement.
By following these tips and practicing regularly, you'll be able to master the rules of adjective agreement in Polish.
Videos
Polish for beginners. Lesson 11. Adjectives (endings). Colours ...
Polish Adjectives (basics) - Easy Polish - YouTube
Other Lessons
- mieć to have
- Definite Articles in Polish
- Perfective and imperfective verbs
- Basic Sentence Structure
- Indefinite Articles in Polish
- Polish Alphabet
- być to be
- Plurals
- Future and Conditional Tenses
- Future Tense
Sources