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Genitive Case
Dopełniacz
The case of negation and possession. Used after "nie ma", "z/do", quantities, and to show "of".
Cases
The Genitive (Dopełniacz) answers Kogo? Czego? (Of whom? Of what?). Its biggest job is NEGATION: when you negate "to have" or "there is", the object flips to Genitive. It's also used for possession (whose?), "from/to" places, and quantities.
Genitive Endings — Singular
| Gender | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| MasculineANIMATE | -a | brat → bratakot → kota |
| MasculineINANIMATE | -a or -u | chleb → chlebarower → roweru, sok → soku |
| Feminine | -y / -i | kawa → kawyPolska → Polski, restauracja → restauracji |
| Neuter | -a | piwo → piwakino → kina |
Masculine inanimate -a vs -u is unpredictable — learn it per word.
Negation flips Accusative → Genitive
| Positive (Accusative) | Negative (Genitive) |
|---|---|
| Mam rower. | Nie mam roweru. |
| Mam czas. | Nie mam czasu. |
| Jest chleb. | Nie ma chleba. |
| Lubię kawę. | Nie lubię kawy. |
Other uses
- To jest rower Marka.This is Marek's bike.possession
- Idę do kina.I'm going to the cinema."do" = to
- Jestem z Polski.I am from Poland."z" = from
- Tu jest dużo ludzi.There are a lot of people here.quantity
- Poproszę kawałek ciasta.A piece of cake, please.portion
Tip
Adjectives in the Genitive: masculine/neuter take -ego, feminine takes -ej. "Nie lubię czarnej kawy." (I don't like black coffee.) "Nie mam dobrego słownika." (I don't have a good dictionary.)