Polish Grammar
for Genealogists Copyright © 2013 by Fay Bussgang CONCEPTS of POLISH GRAMMAR
•  CASE: indicates function of word in sentence
DECLINATION: process of changing the ending
of a word according to its case
CASE ENDING: depends on case,
gender, number, and stem
•  GENDER: masculine, feminine, neuter
•  NUMBER: singular or plural
•  STEM: part of sentence that remains same or
changes only slightly when endings are added
2 CASES USEFUL FOR GENEALOGISTS
•  NOMINATIVE: SUBJECT OF SENTENCE
•  GENITIVE: DENOTES “OF,” POSSESSION
(used with “z / ze” to mean “from”)
•  INSTRUMENTAL: WITH OR BY WHOM
SOMETHING IS DONE
(used with “z / ze” to mean “with”)
•  LOCATIVE: LOCATION OF ACTION
(used with preposition “w” / “we” meaning “in”)
3 SAMPLE DECLENSION
Feminine Noun
•
NOMINATIVE:
Warszaw/a
•
GENITIVE:
Warszaw/y
•
INSTRUMENTAL:
Warszaw/ą
•
LOCATIVE:
Warszaw/ie
STEM = Warszaw/
ENDINGS = “a” “y” “ą” “ie”
4 GENITIVE CASE:
Feminine Town Names
usually end in “a” in the NOMINATIVE;
may end in “double consonants” or “ew”
NOMINATIVE
GENITIVE (add “y” or “i”)
Warszawa
Warta
Horodenka
Bydgoszcz
Łódź
Żółkiew
Warszawy
Warty
Horodenki
Bydgoszczy
Łodzi (slashes dropped)
Żółkwi (“ie” dropped)
5 GENITIVE CASE:
Masculine Town Names
end in consonant in NOMINATIVE
most form GENITIVE by adding “a”
Foreign cities & a few compound names add “u”
NOMINATIVE
Kra'ków
Gdańsk
Włocła'wek
Po'znań
Za'mość
Lon'dyn
Raj'gród
GENITIVE
Krako'wa (slash dropped)
Gdań'ska
Włocław'ka (e dropped)
Pozna'nia (slash ➞ “i”)
Zamo'ścia (slash ➞ “i”)
Londyn'u
Raj/gro'du (compound word)
6 GENITIVE CASE:
Neuter Town Names
Neuter Town Names end in “o,” sometimes in “e”;
add “a” in GENITIVE
NOMINATIVE
GENITIVE
Chełmno
Radomsko
Opole
Chełmna
Radomska
Opola
7 GENITIVE CASE:
Plural Town Names
Plural Town Names end in “i,” “y,” and “e”,
drop final vowel in GENITIVE
NOMINATIVE
Chęci'ny
Suwał'ki
Katowi'ce
GENITIVE
Chę'cin (accent changes)
Suwa'łek (adds “e” before “k”)
Kato'wic (accent changes)
8 ADDING OR SUBTRACTING “e”/“ie”
Nominative
Genitive
Feminine Town Name
[“ie” before final consonant
removed before ending]
Żółkiew
Żółkwi
Masculine Town/ Name
[“e” before final consonant
removed before adding
masculine ending “a”]
Włocławek
Włocławka
Herszek
Herszka
Mosiek
Mośka
(“si” becomes “ś”)
Plural Town Name
[“i/e” cut off, “e” added
before final consonant]
Suwałki
Siedlce
Suwałek
Siedlec
9 GENITIVE CASE: SURNAMES
NOMINATIVE
Masc. Surnames Goldberg
Nowak
Fem. Surnames
Kwarta
Spira
Surnames ending Spiro
in “o”
GENITIVE
Goldberga
Nowaka
Kwarty
Spiry
Spiry
10 GENITIVE CASE: GIVEN NAMES
NOMINATIVE
Male names
(ending in “a”)
Female names
Hersz
Lajbuś
Szlama
Szaja
Laja
Ester/Estera
Ruchel/Ruchla
GENITIVE
Hersza
Lajbusia
Szlamy
Szaji/ Szai
Laji/ Lai
Estery
Ruchli
11 GENITIVE CASE:
SURNAMES LIKE ADJECTIVES
NOMINATIVE
Male
Kowalski
Sawicki
Female
Kowalska
Sawicka
Couple
Kowalscy
Sawiccy
GENITIVE
Kowalskiego
Sawickiego
Kowalskiej
Sawickiej
Kowalskich
Sawickich
12 GENITIVE FOR WOMEN’S SURNAMES
(TO INDICATE IF WOMAN IS MARRIED OR UNMARRIED)
NOMINATIVE
Mrs. Glasman:
Miss Glasman:
Daughter of Hersz:
Glasmanowa
Glasmanówna
Sura Herszówna
GENITIVE
Glasmanowej (adj)
Glasmanówny (n)
Sury Herszówny (n)
(TO INDICATE MAIDEN NAME OF MARRIED WOMAN)
Rywka z Bursztajnów Najman (from the Bursztajn family)
Ruchel z Kowalskich Nowak (from the Kowalski family)
13 INSTRUMENTAL CASE
Men:
(z / ze = with)
NOMINATIVE
INSTRUMENTAL
Szmul Kron
ze Szmulem Kronem
''
(or) ze Szmulem Kron
Aron Kowalski
z Aronem Kowalskim
Women: Ruchla Goldberg
Fajga Kowalska
Sura Moszkówna
z Ruchlą Goldberg
z Fajgą Kowalską
z Surą Moszkówną
14 LOCATIVE CASE
follows “w” or “we,” ending based on:
•  GENDER
[masculine, feminine, neuter]
•  NUMBER
[singular or plural]
•  STEM
[hard, soft, or velar (guttural)]
Nature of stem depends on sound of last
consonant, not of last letter if it is a vowel
15 LOCATIVE CASE
HARD STEMS
(all genders)
Stems “b, f, m, n, p, s, w, or z”
(soften by adding “i” before “e” ending)
NOMINATIVE
Dęba
Chełmno
Lublin
Warszawa
Kraków
LOCATIVE
w Dębie
w Chełmnie
w Lublinie
w Warszawie
w Krakowie
16 LOCATIVE CASE
HARD STEMS
(all genders)
Stems “d, ł, r, and t”
(softened before adding “e” ending)
d➞dzi
ł➞l
r➞rz
t➞ci
Rajgród
Skała
Góra
Łańcut
w Rajgrodzie
w Skale
w Górze
w Łańcucie
17 LOCATIVE CASE
VELAR STEMS
Velar stem = final consonant “k, g, ch”
Feminine (soften velar stem before adding “e”)
ch➞sz
g➞dz
k➞c
NOMINATIVE
Bierwicha
Struga
Horodenka
LOCATIVE
w Bierwisze
w Strudze
w Horodence
18 LOCATIVE CASE
VELAR STEMS
Velar stem = final consonant is “k, g, ch”
Masculine and Neuter (add “u” to stem)
NOMINATIVE
Tarnobrzeg
Płock
Włocławek
Radomsko
GENITIVE
w Tarnobrzegu
w Płocku
w Włocławku (drop “e”)
w Radomsku
19 LOCATIVE CASE
SOFT STEMS
Stems [c, j, l] [ć, ń, ś, ź, ż] [cz, rz, sz]
Feminine (add “i” or “y” to stem)
NOMINATIVE
Dębica
Bochnia
Łódź
Bydgoszcz
LOCATIVE
w Dębicy
w Bochni
w Łodzi [drop slashes]
w Bydgoszczy
20 LOCATIVE CASE SOFT STEMS
Stems [c, j, l] [ć, ń, ś, ź, ż] [cz, rz, sz]
Masculine and Neuter (add “u” to stem)
NOMINATIVE
Mielec
Opole
Toruń
Zgierz
LOCATIVE
w Mielcu (e dropped)
w Opolu
w Toruniu
w Zgierzu
21 LOCATIVE CASE
PLURAL
all add “ach” to stem
NOMINATIVE
Brzeziny
Chęciny
Katowice
Suwałki
LOCATIVE
w Brzezinach
w Chęcinach
w Katowicach
w Suwałkach
22 WORKING BACKWARD
LOCATIVE
w Warszawie
w Lublinie
w Łodzi
w Brzezinach
w Warcie
w Warce
NOMINATIVE
Warszawa
Lublin
Łódź
Brzeziny
?Warc/Warca?
? Warc?
23 WORKING BACKWARD
Hard stems: t➞ci
Velar stem (if feminine): k➞c
LOCATIVE
w War/ci/e
w War/c/e
przy mat/c/e
War/t + a
War/k + a
mat/k + a
NOMINATIVE
Warta
Warka
matka (mother)
[przy = near/with]
Irregular masculine soft stem:
przy ojc/u
ojciec (father)
24 MULTIPLE TRANSFORMATIONS
t➞ci
(town/city)
a➞e
NOMINATIVE
miasto
s➞ś
LOCATIVE
w mieście
ALTERNATION of “a” to “e” / “ą” to “ę”
Soften consonant preceding softened consonant
a➞e z➞ź
ą➞ę
NOMINATIVE
Ujazd
Dąb
LOCATIVE
w Ujeździe
w Dębie
25 ADJECTIVES USED IN TOWN NAMES
NOMINATIVE
GENITIVE
LOCATIVE
Common Modifier of Town Names [new]:
Feminine
Masculine
Neuter
Plural
Nowa
Nowy
Nowe
Nowe
Nowej
Nowego
Nowego
Nowych
Nowej
Nowym
Nowym
Nowych
Region where town is located (Mazowie). Follows town name:
Feminine
Masculine
Neuter
Plural
Mazowiecka
Mazowiecki
Mazowieckie
Mazowieckie
Mazowieckiej
Mazowieckiego
Mazowieckiego
Mazowieckich
Mazowieckiej
Mazowieckim
Mazowieckim
Mazowieckich
26 ADJECTIVES USED IN TOWN NAMES NOMINATIVE
GENITIVE
LOCATIVE
Compound Name (Adjective + Noun)
Feminine
Zduńska Wola z Zduńskiej Woli w Zduńskiej Woli
Feminine
Zielona Góra
z Zielonej Góry
w Zielonej Górze
Masculine
Białystok
z Białegostoku
w Białymstoku
Białystok is a compound word “Biały” (white) “stok” (hill)
Rarities: Town Names declinated like adjectives:
Feminine
Masculine
Dobra (good)
Głuchy (silent)
z Dobrej
z Głuchego
w Dobrej
w Głuchym
27