Endings
| Gender | Nouns | Adjectives | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine (animate) | no change | pies, brat, kolega, tataDictionary form. Typically ends in a consonant (or -a for male roles like kolega) | no change | dobry pies (good dog), wysoki mężczyzna (tall man)Dictionary form. Ends in -y or -i (after k/g) |
| Masculine (inanimate) | no change | stół, dom, samochódDictionary form. Typically ends in a consonant | no change | ładny dom (nice house), długi stół (long table)Dictionary form. Ends in -y or -i (after k/g) |
| Neuter | no change | dziecko, morze, imię, muzeumDictionary form. Typically ends in -o, -e, -ę, or -um | no change | dobre mleko (good milk), wysokie okno (tall window)Dictionary form. Ends in -e or -ie (after k/g) |
| Feminine | no change | kobieta, pani, nocDictionary form. Typically ends in -a, -i, or a consonant | no change | dobra kawa (good coffee), wysoka kobieta (tall woman)Dictionary form. Ends in -a |
When to use it
Subject of sentence
The person or thing performing the action.
Moja wspaniała mama gotuje obiad.
My wonderful mom is cooking dinner.
After "to jest" / "to"
"To jest" (this is) takes nominative — not instrumental.
To jest czarny kot.
This is a black cat.
Predicate adjective (not noun)
Adjective after "być" stays nominative when no noun follows.
Ta młoda dziewczyna jest sympatyczna.
This young girl is nice.
Affirmative existential
"Jest" (there is) with affirmative subject → nominative.
Na stole leży ciekawa książka.
An interesting book is lying on the table.
Dictionary / base form
All words are listed in nominative in dictionaries.
pies, kobieta, dziecko
dog, woman, child
Watch out — overlaps with other cases
Predicate adjective → nominative; predicate noun phrase → instrumental
Nominative (adjective)
Ona jest mądra.
She is wise.
Instrumental (noun)
Ona jest mądrą kobietą.
She is a wise woman.
"To jest" + noun always stays nominative (it classifies/points at something); a personal subject + "jest" + noun phrase (identity, profession) takes instrumental instead
Nominative ("to jest")
To jest mój brat.
This is my brother.
Instrumental ("on jest")
On jest moim bratem.
He is my brother.
Affirmative existential → nominative; negative existential → genitive
Nominative (affirmative)
Na stole jest książka.
There is a book on the table.
Genitive (negative)
Na stole nie ma książki.
There is no book on the table.