They: oni and one — people counted apart
English they covers two words here. Oni is for people with at least one man among them: Oni pracują w banku. One is for women, children, animals and every thing: One piją kawę about female friends. For example: “Oni są z Polski” — They (men or mixed) are from Poland. A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English they covers two words here. Oni is for people with at least one man among them: Oni pracują w banku. One is for women, children, animals and every thing: One piją kawę about female friends.
The same category lives in counting: dwa piwa, but dwie kawy, and about men separately — dwóch panów. This is not politeness but grammar, and swapping one for the other is heard at once.
There is no special verb form for two people: My dwoje jesteśmy razem is the ordinary plural. A dual number does not exist here, and that is a simplification worth remembering as a plain fact of the language.
Table
| About whom | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| men or mixed company | oni | Oni są tutaj |
| women | one | One są tutaj |
| children and objects | one | Dziecko? One śpią |
| the two of us | my dwoje | My dwoje jesteśmy razem |
By example
- Oni są z PolskiThey (men or mixed) are from Poland
- One są z PolskiThey (women) are from Poland
- My dwoje jesteśmy razemThe two of us are together
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
They: how does it work in Polish?
English they covers two words here. Oni is for people with at least one man among them: Oni pracują w banku. One is for women, children, animals and every thing: One piją kawę about female friends.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“Oni są z Polski” — They (men or mixed) are from Poland. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.