Adjectives
Adjective gender agreement in Polish
I can use adjectives with correct gender agreement
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
To jest duży dom.
This is a big house.
Zimne mleko, proszę.
Cold milk, please.
Ona jest miłą kobietą.
She is a nice woman.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Przymiotniki — Adjectives
Polish adjectives agree in gender with the noun they describe. Each adjective has three nominative forms.
| Gender | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -y / -i | dobry człowiek (a good person) |
| Feminine | -a | dobra kawa (good coffee) |
| Neuter | -e | dobre piwo (good beer) |
Adjectives ending in -ki, -gi use -i in masculine: wielki, drogi. Adjectives come before the noun, like in English.
Learners forget to change adjective endings to match the noun's gender.
To jest duży dom.
This is a big house.
dom is masculine → duży dom (big house), not duża/duże.
Zimne mleko, proszę.
Cold milk, please.
mleko is neuter → zimne mleko, not zimny/zimna.
Ona jest miłą kobietą.
She is a nice woman.
kobieta is feminine → miła kobieta, with feminine -a ending.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is Przymiotniki used?
- Polish adjectives agree in gender with the noun they describe. Each adjective has three nominative forms.
- How is Przymiotniki formed?
- Adjectives ending in -ki, -gi use -i in masculine: wiel ki , dro gi . Adjectives come before the noun, like in English.
- What are common mistakes with Przymiotniki?
- Learners forget to change the adjective ending to match gender. Unlike English, every adjective must reflect the noun's gender. English speakers: No gender agreement in English — must memorize noun genders to use correct adjective form. Russian speakers: Same system (добрый/добрая/доброе) — direct transfer advantage, but watch for different endings (-y vs -ый). Czech speakers: Same principle (dobrý/dobrá/dobré) — almost identical endings, strong transfer.