Zaimki (Pronouns & Determiners)
mój, ten, jaki - pointing and owning in Nominative
Grammar A2Polish has 5 'genders' in the plural
You already know 3 in the singular. The plural adds a second dimension.
- Singular: on (masculine), ona (feminine), ono (neuter)
- Plural oni: groups with at least one man (masculine personal)
- Plural one: everything else - women only, children, animals, objects
Gdzie oni są?
Where are they? (men or mixed)
Gdzie one są?
Where are they? (women / things)
Mój & Twój (my & your)
Possessive pronouns change with the noun's gender.
| Group | Ending | Example |
|---|
| Masculine | mój / twój | mój bilet, twój dom |
| Feminine | moja / twoja | moja kawa, twoja książka |
| Neuter | moje / twoje | moje biurko, twoje dziecko |
In plural: moi / twoi for men (oni), moje / twoje for everything else (one).
To jest mój kot.
This is my cat.
To jest twoja kawa.
This is your coffee.
Ten & Tamten (this & that)
Pointing at things nearby (ten) vs. further away (tamten).
| Group | Ending | Example |
|---|
| Masculine | ten / tamten | ten pociąg, tamten dom |
| Feminine | ta / tamta | ta ulica, tamta pani |
| Neuter | to / tamto | to spotkanie, tamto dziecko |
The neuter form to is also the universal 'this / it' used in constructions like to jest kot - regardless of the noun's gender.
Ten chleb jest bardzo dobry.
This bread is very good.
Ta kawa jest moja.
This coffee is mine.
Jaki, Który, Czyj (what kind, which, whose)
Three question words that behave like adjectives.
- Jaki / Jaka / Jakie: what kind? (asking for description)
- Który / Która / Które: which one? (choosing from a set)
- Czyj / Czyja / Czyje: whose? (asking about ownership)
These change endings exactly like adjectives to match the noun they describe.
Jaka to jest ulica?
What street is this?
Który to twój samochód?
Which one is your car?
Czyj to telefon?
Whose phone is this?
The special 'oni' plurals
When talking about groups of men (or mixed groups), the endings soften.
| Group | Ending | Example |
|---|
| my / your | moi / twoi | moi koledzy |
| these / those | ci / tamci | ci panowie |
| which / what | którzy / jacy | jacy ludzie |
This is the trickiest column. te → ci, moje → moi, które → którzy - all when referring to men.
Ci ludzie to moi znajomi.
These people are my friends.
Full singular reference chart
Everything you need for the singular in one place.
| Group | Ending | Example |
|---|
| masculine | ten mój dobry kot | 'this my good cat' |
| feminine | ta moja dobra kawa | 'this my good coffee' |
| neuter | to moje dobre dziecko | 'this my good child' |
Notice how ten → ta → to, mój → moja → moje, and dobry → dobra → dobre all follow the same rhythm.
Ta moja dobra siostra jest tutaj.
This good sister of mine is here.
Watch out: things that trip up learners
A few common gotchas worth memorizing.
- Dzieci (children) is treated as 'one', not 'oni', even with boys: te dzieci, not ci dzieci.
- Ludzie (people) IS 'oni': ci ludzie.
- Animals are always 'one' plural regardless of species: te koty, te psy.
A group of 100 boys ages 5-10 is still 'te dzieci' - grammatical children stay grammatical children.
Te dzieci są głodne.
These children are hungry.
Ci ludzie są mili.
These people are nice.
12 interactive drills for this topic, plus flashcards with native audio.