Polish Adverb Formation

Adverb are formed from adjectives by adding either an e or an o to the end of the adjective. There is no clear-cut rule to determine which letter to add, but here are some general rules:

– If the adjective stem ends with a hardened or soft consonant, or k, g, or ch, always add o. Also, always add o if the adjective ends with an i.

Examples:

Adjective	Adverb	Translation
obcy cichy głupi szybki drogi tani	obco cicho głupio szybko drogo tanio	foreign quiet stupid fast expensive cheap

 

– If the adjective stem ends with a hardened consonant (except, k, g, and ch), sometimes you add an o, sometimes you an e. In general, stems ending with n tend to take an e adverb ending.

When an e is added, the previous consonant softens.

Examples:

Adjective	Adverb	Translation
mocny dobry zły piękny	mocno dobrze źle pięknie	strong good bad beautiful

 

Adverbs which are derived from adjectives ending with -ski take the u ending and are always followed by the preposition po.

Examples:

Adjective	Adverb	Translation
polski angielski	po polsku po angielsku	polish english

 

Adverb Placement

Polish adverbs are normally placed before the word they are modifying, but can be placed after to add emphasis.