Noun Gender
Rodzaj rzeczownika
Every Polish noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. The gender decides adjective and verb endings — master this first.
In Polish, every noun has one of three grammatical genders. You usually tell the gender from the noun's ending. This matters because adjectives, pronouns, and past-tense verbs must "agree" with the gender of the noun.
The Three Genders
| Gender | Usual ending | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (rodzaj męski) | a consonant | student, dom, kot,telefon, samochód |
| Feminine (rodzaj żeński) | -a | kobieta, kawa,książka, mama |
| Neuter (rodzaj nijaki) | -o, -e, -ę, -um | okno, dziecko, morze,imię, muzeum |
The "default" rule: consonant → masculine, -a → feminine, -o/-e → neuter.
Important Exceptions
Some nouns break the default rule. These are common ones from class:
| Looks like… | But is actually… | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ends in -a | MASCULINE (male people/roles) | tata, mężczyzna, kolega,dentysta, artysta, poeta, kierowca |
| ends in -i | FEMININE | pani, gospodyni |
| ends in a consonant | FEMININE | noc, kolej, twarz, sól |
| ends in -ść | FEMININE | miłość, radość, złość |
| ends in -um | NEUTER (never changes form) | muzeum, liceum, gimnazjum |
A male person is always masculine, even if the word ends in -a. "Tata" (dad) and "mężczyzna" (man) are masculine: ten tata, ten mężczyzna.
Gender agreement in action
A few nouns only exist in the plural: drzwi (door), okulary (glasses), spodnie (trousers), dżinsy (jeans), skrzypce (violin). They always take plural verbs: "To są drzwi."