Learning pronouns in Polish, a West Slavic language spoken primarily in Poland, is essential for mastering both spoken and written communication. Polish pronouns are characterized by their forms according to person, number, gender, and case. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Polish replace nouns referring to people or things and are used based on the person being referred to. Polish pronouns change form depending on the grammatical case: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative, and vocative.

Subject Pronouns (Nominative Case):

• Ja (I): “Ja idę.” – I am going.
• Ty (You – singular, informal): “Ty mówisz.” – You speak.
• On/Ona/Ono (He/She/It): “On biega.” / “Ona śpiewa.” / “Ono leży.” – He runs. / She sings. / It lies.
• My (We): “My uczymy się.” – We study.
• Wy (You – plural, informal): “Wy pracujecie.” – You work.
• Oni/One (They – masculine/feminine): “Oni piszą.” / “One czytają.” – They write. / They read.

Object Pronouns:

• Mnie/Mi (Me): “Widzisz mnie.” – You see me.
• Ciebie/Ci (You – singular, informal): “Kocham cię.” – I love you.
• Jego/Jej/Ją (Him/Her): “Poznałem jego.” / “Zaprosiłem ją.” – I met him. / I invited her.
• Nas (Us): “Oni znają nas.” – They know us.
• Was (You – plural, informal): “Pamiętamy was.” – We remember you.
• Ich (Them): “Lubimy ich.” – We like them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Polish indicate ownership and change form based on gender and number.

• Mój/Moja/Moje (My): “Mój dom.” / “Moja książka.” / “Moje auto.” – My house. / My book. / My car.
• Twój/Twoja/Twoje (Your – singular, informal): “Twój brat.” / “Twoja siostra.” / “Twoje dziecko.” – Your brother. / Your sister. / Your child.
• Jego/Jej (His/Her): Does not change form. “Jego pies.” / “Jej kot.” – His dog. / Her cat.
• Nasz/Nasza/Nasze (Our): “Nasz świat.” / “Nasza praca.” / “Nasze marzenia.” – Our world. / Our job. / Our dreams.
• Wasz/Wasza/Wasze (Your – plural, informal): “Wasz dom.” / “Wasza rodzina.” / “Wasze zdrowie.” – Your house. / Your family. / Your health.
• Ich (Their): “Ich samochód.” – Their car.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Polish point to specific nouns and vary based on gender and number.

• Ten/Ta/To (This – masculine/feminine/neuter): “Ten chłopiec.” / “Ta dziewczyna.” / “To dziecko.” – This boy. / This girl. / This child.
• Tamten/Tamta/Tamto (That – masculine/feminine/neuter): “Tamten dom.” / “Tamta ulica.” / “Tamto drzewo.” – That house. / That street. / That tree.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Polish are used when the subject performs an action upon itself.

• Się (Oneself): “On się myje.” – He washes himself.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• Kto (Who): “Kto to zrobił?” – Who did this?
• Co (What): “O co chodzi?” – What is it about?
• Który/Która/Które (Which): “Który film wybierasz?” – Which movie do you choose?
• Czyj/Czyja/Czyje (Whose): “Czyj to jest samochód?” – Whose car is this?

Understanding and correctly using Polish pronouns is vital for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, context and the nuances of Polish grammar play a significant role in choosing the correct pronoun form.