< Polish

Adjectives

The adjective (przymiotnik) is a very powerful part of speech in Polish. It declines very regularly depending on case, number and gender. It may be used as a noun. For example Polish adjectives "bogaty" (rich) and "czarny" (black) are very often used as "nouns" (taking forms "bogata" and "czarna" in feminine gender).

While there is only one pattern, final consonant group takes different endings.

The vocative always has the same form as the nominative.


Case Singular Plural
Feminine Person-masculine and animate-masculine Inanimate-masculine Neuter Person-masculine Other genders
Nominative -a/-ia -y/-i -e/-ie-i/-y -e/-ie
Genitive -ej/-iej -ego/-iego -ych/-ich
Dative -ej/-iej -emu/-iemu -ym/-im
Accusative -ą/-ią-ego/-iego -y/-i -e/-ie-ych/-ich -e/-ie
Instrumental -ą/-ią -ym/-im -ymi/-imi
Locative -ej/-iej -ym/-im -ych/-ich

Fields, by colour:

  • White - basic form (feminine singular nominative)
  • Green - second form (with "i") in the case of adjectives ending in "ka", "ga" or "ia" in the base form, first form (without "i") otherwise
  • Purple - second form (with "i") in the case of adjectives ending in "ia" in the basic form, first form (without "i") otherwise
  • Red - final consonant group must be palatized (or "softened"), and "i" or "y" must be added, depending on result

Some softening rules are (compared to the singular masculine nominative):

"y" changes to "i"
by bi
my mi
ny ni
wy wi
Change of consonant, "y" stays "y"
ry rzy
Change of consonant, "y" changes to "i"
ły li
szy si
Change of consonant, "i" changes to "y"
ki cy
gi dzy
No changes, with "i"
pi pi
si si
wi wi
No changes, with "y"
rzy rzy

See polski for sample "-ki" declension.

Adjective forms can also get comparative and superlative forms.

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