Personal Pronouns
Content
These pronouns are used to refer to a person or thing. Note that some pronouns have 2 and even 3 alternatives. The black forms represent the long form of the pronoun.
The blue represents the short form,
and the red the prepositional forms.
First of all, the long forms are used instead of the short ones after a prepositions. However, if the pronoun has a red prepositional form it takes priority.
Dzięki niemu.
(Thanks to him)
NOT:
Dzięki jemu.
Dzięki mu.
Long forms are also used to stress emphasis and at the beginning of the clause.
Daj to jemu, a nie jej.
(Give this to him, not to her)
NOT:
Daj to mu, a nie jej.
Ciebie nie lubię.
(I don’t like you)
NOT:
Cię nie lubię.
Besides these types of constructions, either the long or short form is usually acceptable, but the short form can often sound more natural. Note that the prepositional forms are only ever used after prepositions, nothing else.
First Person
The nominative singular form “ja” equates to “I” in English, and “my” means “we”, since these forms represent the subject. The rest of the singular forms means “me” and the plural ones mean “us”.
Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | ja | my |
Genitive | mnie | nas |
Dative | mnie/mi | nam |
Accusative | mnie | nas |
Instrumental | mną | nami |
Locative | mnie | nas |
Second Person
In English, all these forms translate to “you” because you is used both in the singular and plural.
Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | ty | wy |
Genitive | ciebie/cię | was |
Dative | tobie/ci | wam |
Accusative | ciebie/cię | was |
Instrumental | tobą | wami |
Locative | tobie | was |
Third Person
Here, the English equivalents will be placed under each form to more easily demonstrate what each pronoun means.
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine Personal | Other | |
Nominative | on
he |
ona
she |
ono
it |
oni
they |
one
they |
Genitive | jego/go/niego
him |
jej/niej
her |
jego/go/niego
it |
ich/nich
they |
ich/nich
they |
Dative | jemu/mu/niemu
him |
jej/niej
her |
jemu/mu/niemu
it |
im/nim
they |
im/nim
they |
Accusative | jego/go/niego
him |
ją/nią
her |
je/nie
it |
ich/nich
they |
je/nie
they |
Instrumental | nim
him |
nią
her |
nim
it |
nimi | nimi |
Locative | nim
him |
niej
her |
nim
it |
nich
they |
nich
they |