Conjugation I: -m, -sz Pattern
Learn the first conjugation pattern with common verbs like mieć, mieszkać, czytać, and kochać.
Verbs Following the -am, -asz Pattern
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
mieć /myech/ | to haveMam kota. — I have a cat. |
mieszkać /MYESH-kahch/ | to live (reside)Mieszkam w Warszawie. — I live in Warsaw. |
czytać /CHIH-tahch/ | to readCzytam książkę. — I am reading a book. |
pytać /PIH-tahch/ | to askPytam o drogę. — I am asking for directions. |
kochać /KOH-hahch/ | to loveKocham Polskę! — I love Poland! |
znać /znahch/ | to know (a person/thing)Znasz Annę? — Do you know Anna? |
słuchać /SWOO-hahch/ | to listenSłucham muzyki. — I listen to music. |
grać /grahch/ | to play (a game/instrument)Gram w piłkę. — I play football. |
szukać /SHOO-kahch/ | to look for / to searchSzukam pracy. — I am looking for work. |
pracować /prah-TSOH-vahch/ | to workPracuję w biurze. — I work in an office. |
The -am, -asz Conjugation Pattern
Full Pattern: -am, -asz, -a, -amy, -acie, -ają
This is the first and most common conjugation group. Verbs ending in -ać in the infinitive usually follow this pattern. Remove -ać and add the personal endings.
Notice: the "ja" form ends in -m (czytam), and the "ty" form ends in -sz (czytasz). This is where the pattern name "-m, -sz" comes from!
Mieć — An Important Irregular Verb
"Mieć" (to have) follows the -m/-sz pattern but has a slight stem change. Instead of "mieam" you get "mam." It is one of the most used verbs in Polish.
The expression "Mam na imię..." (My name is...) literally means "I have for name..." — Polish uses "mieć" where English uses "to be" for names!
Where Do You Live?
Cześć, Tom! Gdzie mieszkasz?
Hi, Tom! Where do you live?
Mieszkam w Krakowie, na Starym Mieście. A ty?
I live in Kraków, in the Old Town. And you?
Mieszkam w Warszawie. Mam małe mieszkanie.
I live in Warsaw. I have a small apartment.
Czy masz samochód?
Do you have a car?
Nie, nie mam. Mam rower. A ty co czytasz?
No, I don't. I have a bike. And what are you reading?
Czytam książkę o Polsce. Kocham historię!
I'm reading a book about Poland. I love history!
Everyday Sentences with -am, -asz Verbs
Asking Questions with Czy
To turn any statement into a yes/no question, add "czy" at the beginning. "Mieszkasz w Krakowie" (You live in Kraków) becomes "Czy mieszkasz w Krakowie?" (Do you live in Kraków?). In casual speech, you can skip "czy" and just use rising intonation, like in English. "Czy" is never wrong, though — it makes the question unmistakably clear.