Two chairs and two men: how this language counts
Polish has no special form for two things: after two the noun is simply plural. But the word two itself changes with the gender of the noun. For example: “Mieszkanie ma dwa pokoje i jeden balkon” — The flat has two rooms and one balcony. A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Polish has no special form for two things: after two the noun is simply plural. But the word two itself changes with the gender of the noun.
dwa goes with masculine and neuter nouns: dwa pokoje, dwa piwa. dwie goes with feminine ones: dwie kawy. From five up the noun takes the of-form plural, the shape it has after a lot of: pięć pokoi, pięć kaw.
Men, and groups with at least one man, are counted with forms of their own: dwóch mężczyzn, pięciu mężczyzn. You cannot say dwa mężczyźni.
Both has three shapes too. obaj is for men: obaj bracia. obie is for any feminine noun, people or things: obie siostry, Mam dwie opcje i obie są trudne. oba is for masculine and neuter things.
Table
| One | Two | Five | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pokój — a room | pokój | dwa pokoje | pięć pokoi |
| kawa — a coffee | kawa | dwie kawy | pięć kaw |
| piwo — a beer | piwo | dwa piwa | pięć piw |
| kobieta — a woman | kobieta | dwie kobiety | pięć kobiet |
| mężczyzna — a man | mężczyzna | dwóch mężczyzn | pięciu mężczyzn |
By example
- Mieszkanie ma dwa pokoje i jeden balkonThe flat has two rooms and one balcony
- Dwie kawy i dwa piwa, proszęTwo coffees and two beers, please
- Obaj panowie mieszkają tutajBoth gentlemen live here
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say two chairs in Polish?
Polish has no special form for two things: after two the noun is simply plural. But the word two itself changes with the gender of the noun.
Dwa pokoje or dwie kawy: which word after two?
dwa goes with masculine and neuter nouns: dwa pokoje, dwa piwa. dwie goes with feminine ones: dwie kawy. From five up the noun takes the of-form plural, the shape it has after a lot of: pięć pokoi, pięć kaw.
Why dwóch mężczyzn and not dwa mężczyźni?
Men, and groups with at least one man, are counted with forms of their own: dwóch mężczyzn, pięciu mężczyzn. You cannot say dwa mężczyźni.
How to say both in Polish: oba, obaj, obie?
Both has three shapes too. obaj is for men: obaj bracia. obie is for any feminine noun, people or things: obie siostry, Mam dwie opcje i obie są trudne. oba is for masculine and neuter things.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“Mieszkanie ma dwa pokoje i jeden balkon” — The flat has two rooms and one balcony. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.