The 7 Polish Cases Explained In Simple Terms
Author
You’ve probably heard about Polish cases.
When I first introduce the concept of cases to my students, I often see a look of concern.
Why does the word for “coffee” change from kawa to kawę, kawie, or kawy?
Here’s the good news: It’s not as impossible as it looks.
In English, the meaning of a sentence depends on the order of the words.
If you say “The dog bit the postman,” we know who did the biting because “dog” comes first. If you switch them to “The postman bit the dog,” the meaning changes completely.
In Polish, word order matters less.
Instead, we change the endings of words to show who is doing what. These different versions of a word are called cases.
Read on and I’ll teach you the 7 cases in Polish.
Table of Contents:
Let’s break them down one by one with simple examples.
1. Nominative (Mianownik)
Subject: Who or what is it?
This is the basic form of the word. It is the form you will find in the dictionary.
We use the Nominative case for the subject of the sentence - the person or thing that is performing the action. We also use it when we are simply naming things or pointing at them.
To jest pyszna pizza.
Mój brat jest wysoki.
If you are just learning basic vocabulary, you are learning the Nominative case.
2. Genitive (Dopełniacz)
Possession, Negation, and “Of”
The Genitive case is arguably the most popular case in Polish. You will use this constantly.
We use the Genitive case in three main situations:
- Possession: To show something belongs to someone (like adding ‘s in English).
- Negation: When you say you don’t have something or don’t like something.
- Quantities: After words like “dużo” (a lot) or “mało” (a little).
To jest pies brata.
Nie mam pizzy.
Piję dużo kawy.
Notice how pizza became pizzy? That is the case ending working!
3. Dative (Celownik)
Indirect Object: To whom?
The Dative case is actually the least used case in Polish, but it is still important.
We use it when we are giving something to someone, helping someone, or trusting someone. It answers the question “to whom?” or “for whom?“.
Daję prezent bratu.
Pomagam mamie.
Ufam ci.
4. Accusative (Biernik)
Direct Object: Who or what receives the action?
This is the case you will use for most basic verbs like “to have” (mieć), “to like” (lubić), “to see” (widzieć), or “to eat” (jeść).
If the Nominative is the person doing the action, the Accusative is the person or thing receiving the action.
Mam brata.
Lubię pizzę.
Widzę okno.
Quick Tip: In Polish, masculine inanimate objects (things that are not alive, like a “phone” or “table”) look exactly the same in the Accusative case as they do in the Nominative case. They don’t change!
5. Instrumental (Narzędnik)
With whom? With what?
The Instrumental case is very logical. We use it to describe the instrument or method we use to do something.
We use it in two main ways:
- With: Following the word z (with).
- Professions/Family: When saying who someone is (after the verb “to be”).
Idę do kina z bratem.
Jem pizzę z sosem.
Jestem studentem.
6. Locative (Miejscownik)
Location: About, In, On
The Locative case never appears alone. It is always used with a preposition.
You will use this when talking about where something is located, or when you are talking “about” something.
Common prepositions for Locative:
- w (in)
- na (on/at)
- o (about)
- przy (by/near)
Rozmawiamy o bracie.
Pomidor jest na pizzy.
Jestem w szkole.
7. Vocative (Wołacz)
Addressing someone
Finally, we have the Vocative case. This is used when you are talking directly to someone or calling their name.
In modern spoken Polish, people sometimes replace this with the Nominative case for names (e.g., saying “Marek!” instead of “Marku!”). However, it is still strictly used for formal titles and sentimental roles like “mom” or “dad”.
Marku, gdzie jesteś?
Witaj, profesorze!
O Boże!
Summary Table
Here is a quick reference table showing how the words Pizza (Feminine noun) and Brat (Masculine Person noun) change through the 7 cases.
| Case Name (Polish) | Function | Example (Pizza) | Example (Brother) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nominative (Mianownik) | Subject (Dictionary form) | Pizza jest dobra. (The pizza is good) | Brat tu jest. (Brother is here) |
| 2. Genitive (Dopełniacz) | Possession / “Of” / Negation | Nie lubię pizzy. (I don’t like pizza) | To jest dom brata. (This is brother’s house) |
| 3. Dative (Celownik) | Indirect Object (To/For) | Przyglądam się pizzy. (I’m looking closely at the pizza) | Daję to bratu. (I give this to brother) |
| 4. Accusative (Biernik) | Direct Object (Receiver) | Widzę pizzę. (I see the pizza) | Mam brata. (I have a brother) |
| 5. Instrumental (Narzędnik) | With / By means of | Sos z pizzą. (Sauce with pizza) | Idę z bratem. (I go with brother) |
| 6. Locative (Miejscownik) | Location (In/On/About) | O pizzy. (About the pizza) | O bracie. (About brother) |
| 7. Vocative (Wołacz) | Direct Address | O, pizzo! (Oh, pizza!) | Cześć, bracie! (Hi, brother!) |
How should you learn them?
My advice for beginners is simple: Do not try to memorize all the endings at once. You will go crazy!
Instead, focus on the “Big Three” first:
- Nominative (The word itself)
- Accusative (For “I like…”, “I have…”, “I see…“)
- Genitive (For “I don’t have…”, “Of…“)
Once you are comfortable with those, the others will start to make more sense.
Keep listening to the language, and eventually, your brain will “feel” which ending sounds right.
Powodzenia! (Good luck!)
