In this lesson, we will learn the personal pronouns [osobowe zaimki] in Polish.
| Pronouns are used to replace nouns. Personal pronouns in English are I, you, he, she, it, we, they. ex. Marta is here. We can replace Marta with she. ex. She is here. Need more clarity? ex. Marta and Cyril are here. We can replace Marta and Cyril with they. ex. They are here. |
Fortunately, this lesson will be very short and easy. Nevertheless, I will expand on certain points for clarity.
| Personal Pronouns |
| ja [first-person singular] | I |
| ty [second-person singular] | you [informal; use with someone you know very well – friends, pets, family members] |
| on [third-person singular] | he; it |
| ona [third-person singular] | she; it |
| ono [third-person singular] | it |
| my [first-person plural] | we |
| wy [second-person plural] | you [informal; use with people such as friends, family, a crowd, etc. |
| oni [third-person plural] | they [see below] |
| one [third-person plural] | they [see below] |
| The pronoun ty is used for someone whom you address informally. The pronoun wy is used for groups of people whom you address informally. If you want to address a person formally, you use pan [for a man] and pana [for a woman]. Czy pan czeka na kogoś? Are you waiting for someone? [addressing a man] Co pana tu robi? What are you doing here? [addressing a woman] |
| In Polish, personal pronouns are not very often, owing to the fact that one can identify the subject based on a verb’s conjugation. Poles only use them for emphasis. jestem [I am] versus ja jestem [I am] The pronouns on, ona and ono, however, are used often, because they all have the same conjugation. [on jest, ona jest, ono jest] |
| The pronouns on and ona, in addition to meaning he and she respectively, can also mean it. This is because Polish doesn’t have a generic word for it. Ono translates as it, when we have a neuter noun! To jest gwiazda. Ona jest czerwona. This is a star. It’s red. To jest dom. On jest stary. This is a house. It’s old. |
| What’s the difference between oni and one? Oni is used for a group of people that contains only masculine beings or objects. One is used for a group that is mixed – masculine, feminine and neuter beings. If some gender other than masculine is included, use this pronoun. To są Grzegorsz i Marek. Oni są w kinie. These are Grzegorsz and Marek. They are in the movie theater. To są Grzegorsz i Sylwia. One są w kinie. These are Grzegorsz i Sylwia. They are in the movie theater. |
Well, there you have it!
We have successfully debunked all personal pronouns in Polish.
See you all soon!