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 kg, 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.