Personal Pronouns & Być (To Be)
Master personal pronouns and the most important Polish verb — być (to be).
Personal Pronouns (Zaimki osobowe)
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
ja /yah/ | I |
ty /tih/ | you (singular, informal) |
on /ohn/ | he |
ona /OH-nah/ | she |
ono /OH-noh/ | it (neuter) |
my /mih/ | we |
wy /vih/ | you (plural / informal) |
oni /OH-nee/ | they (at least one male) |
one /OH-neh/ | they (all female / non-male-personal) |
Pan /pahn/ | you (formal, to a man) |
Pani /PAH-nee/ | you (formal, to a woman) |
Państwo /PAHN-stvoh/ | you (formal, to a group) |
Conjugation of Być (To Be)
Present Tense of Być
"Być" is the most important Polish verb. It is irregular and must be memorized. The pronoun is usually dropped in everyday speech because the verb ending reveals the subject.
The formal "Pan/Pani" always uses 3rd person singular "jest" — as if saying "Does the gentleman/lady have...?" This is a key rule for formal Polish.
Negation: Nie + Być
To negate, simply put "nie" before the verb. It works the same for all persons.
"Nie" is always a separate word before the verb (unlike "niemożliwe" where nie- is a prefix on an adjective).
Where Are You From?
Cześć! Jestem Ewa. A ty?
Hi! I am Ewa. And you?
Cześć! Jestem Tom. Jestem z Anglii.
Hi! I am Tom. I am from England.
O, jesteś Anglikiem! Ja jestem Polką.
Oh, you are English! I am Polish (woman).
Czy jesteś z Warszawy?
Are you from Warsaw?
Nie, jestem z Gdańska. A ty? Skąd jesteś?
No, I am from Gdańsk. And you? Where are you from?
Jestem z Londynu, ale teraz mieszkam w Krakowie.
I am from London, but now I live in Kraków.
Useful Sentences with Być
Dropping Pronouns in Polish
Polish is a "pro-drop" language. Because verb endings indicate the subject, you normally omit the pronoun. "Jestem zmęczony" (I'm tired) is more natural than "Ja jestem zmęczony." Use the pronoun only for emphasis or contrast: "JA jestem zmęczony, a ty nie!" (I am tired, but you're not!). Beginners often overuse pronouns — try dropping them early to sound more natural.