Dużo, mało, kilka: after a quantity comes the of-form
After words of quantity the noun takes the of-form, the shape it has where English says of: dużo pieniędzy — a lot of money, mało czasu, kilka egzaminów. The same goes for parę — a couple. For example: “Dużo pieniędzy i mało czasu” — A lot of money and little time. A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
After words of quantity the noun takes the of-form, the shape it has where English says of: dużo pieniędzy — a lot of money, mało czasu, kilka egzaminów. The same goes for parę — a couple.
wystarczy (there is enough) and brakuje (there isn't enough) work the same way: Wystarczy miejsca, brakuje pieniędzy. The quantity word never changes; the noun does the work.
Numbers split. dwa, trzy, cztery take the ordinary plural: trzy godziny. From pięć up the noun takes the of-form: pięć godzin, sto punktów. That's why it's dwa lata but pięć lat.
ile? (how much, how many) and około (about) take the of-form too: ile pieniędzy masz?, około tygodnia — about a week.
Table
| Word | Meaning | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| dużo | a lot | of-form: dużo pracy |
| mało | little | of-form: mało czasu |
| kilka | a few | of-form: kilka dni |
| parę | a couple | of-form: parę minut |
| wystarczy | it is enough | of-form: wystarczy miejsca |
| brakuje | there is not enough | of-form: brakuje pieniędzy |
| dwa / trzy / cztery | 2–4 | ordinary plural: trzy godziny |
| pięć / sto | 5, 100 | of-form: pięć godzin, sto punktów |
| ile? | how much? | of-form: ile razy? |
By example
- Dużo pieniędzy i mało czasuA lot of money and little time
- Brakuje mi dziesięciu euroI am short ten euros
- Kilka dni przed egzaminemA few days before the exam
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
Dużo, mało, kilka: how does it work in Polish?
After words of quantity the noun takes the of-form, the shape it has where English says of: dużo pieniędzy — a lot of money, mało czasu, kilka egzaminów. The same goes for parę — a couple.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“Dużo pieniędzy i mało czasu” — A lot of money and little time. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.