Genitive Case (Dopełniacz)
Learn the genitive case for negation, quantities, and expressing "of" or possession.
When to Use the Genitive Case
Genitive After Negation (nie mam + genitive)
This is the most important genitive rule for beginners: when you negate a verb that normally takes accusative, the object switches to genitive. "Mam samochód" (I have a car) becomes "Nie mam samochodu" (I don't have a car).
This is one of the hardest rules for English speakers — in English, "I don't have a car" keeps the same form. In Polish, the noun MUST change case when negated.
Genitive Endings — Singular
Genitive singular endings depend on gender. Here are the main patterns.
For masculine nouns, there's no perfect rule for -u vs. -a. Generally: abstract/material nouns take -u (cukru, sera, czasu), people and animals take -a (studenta, kota). Learn with practice!
Genitive for Quantities & Packages
After quantity words (dużo, mało, ile, trochę) and package words (szklanka, butelka, kilogram), use genitive.
This is just like English "a glass OF water" — the "of" word is built into the genitive ending in Polish.
Common Genitive Forms
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
woda → wody /VOH-dih/ | water → of water (gen.) |
kawa → kawy /KAH-vih/ | coffee → of coffee (gen.) |
herbata → herbaty /hehr-BAH-tih/ | tea → of tea (gen.) |
mleko → mleka /MLEH-kah/ | milk → of milk (gen.) |
chleb → chleba /HLEH-bah/ | bread → of bread (gen.) |
ser → sera /SEH-rah/ | cheese → of cheese (gen.) |
cukier → cukru /TSOOK-roo/ | sugar → of sugar (gen.) |
czas → czasu /CHAH-soo/ | time → of time (gen.) |
pieniądze → pieniędzy /pyeh-NYEHN-dzih/ | money → of money (gen.) |
samochód → samochodu /sah-moh-HOH-doo/ | car → of car (gen.) |
At the Grocery Store
Dzień dobry. Poproszę kilogram jabłek.
Good day. A kilogram of apples, please.
Proszę. Coś jeszcze?
Here you are. Anything else?
Tak, poproszę pół kilo sera i butelkę mleka.
Yes, half a kilo of cheese and a bottle of milk, please.
Nie mamy sera gouda. Mamy ser żółty i ser biały.
We don't have gouda cheese. We have yellow cheese and white cheese.
Poproszę sera żółtego. Ile to kosztuje?
Yellow cheese, please. How much does it cost?
Razem trzydzieści dwa złote.
Together, thirty-two zloty.
Proszę. Nie mam drobnych, przepraszam.
Here you go. I don't have small change, sorry.
Genitive in Daily Phrases
Shopping in Poland
Poland has a mix of large supermarkets (Biedronka, Lidl, Żabka) and traditional small shops. Many Poles still buy fresh produce at "targowisko" (open-air markets). "Żabka" is a ubiquitous convenience store chain, open long hours. On Sundays, most shops are closed due to a trade ban (zakaz handlu) introduced in 2018 — exceptions include small family-run shops, gas stations, and train station shops. Plan your shopping for Saturday!