Wstyd mi, żal mi, mam dość: feelings in the dative
Some feelings in Polish need no verb. You take a noun and add a to-whom pronoun: Wstyd mi — literally shame to me, I'm ashamed. żal mi — I feel sorry. Change the pronoun to change the person: wstyd mu, wstyd jej. For example: “Wstyd mi, że tak długo milczałem” — I am ashamed I kept silent for so long. A rule from the Polish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Some feelings in Polish need no verb. You take a noun and add a to-whom pronoun: Wstyd mi — literally shame to me, I'm ashamed. żal mi — I feel sorry. Change the pronoun to change the person: wstyd mu, wstyd jej.
Mam dość — literally I have enough — means I'm fed up. The thing you're fed up with takes the of-form, the shape a noun has after a lot of: mam dość czekania, mam dość tej pogody.
Next to these stand ordinary verbs: wstydzić się — to be ashamed, bać się — to be afraid. wstyd mi describes your own state from inside. wstydzi się describes a person as others see them.
Table
| Pronoun | To whom | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mi | to me | wstyd mi |
| ci | to you | wierzę ci |
| mu | to him | wstyd mu |
| jej | to her | wstyd jej |
| nam | to us | wstyd nam |
| wam | to you (plural) | niezręcznie wam? |
| im | to them | współczuję im |
By example
- Wstyd mi, że tak długo milczałemI am ashamed I kept silent for so long
- Mam dość tej kłótniI am fed up with this quarrel
- Żal mi jej, została samaI feel sorry for her, she was left alone
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 I am ashamed in Polish?
Some feelings in Polish need no verb. You take a noun and add a to-whom pronoun: Wstyd mi — literally shame to me, I'm ashamed. żal mi — I feel sorry. Change the pronoun to change the person: wstyd mu, wstyd jej.
Wstyd mi vs wstydzi się?
Next to these stand ordinary verbs: wstydzić się — to be ashamed, bać się — to be afraid. wstyd mi describes your own state from inside. wstydzi się describes a person as others see them.
Why mam dość takes the genitive?
Mam dość — literally I have enough — means I'm fed up. The thing you're fed up with takes the of-form, the shape a noun has after a lot of: mam dość czekania, mam dość tej pogody.
How to say I am cold in Polish?
Some feelings in Polish need no verb. You take a noun and add a to-whom pronoun: Wstyd mi — literally shame to me, I'm ashamed. żal mi — I feel sorry. Change the pronoun to change the person: wstyd mu, wstyd jej.
Which case does the pronoun take in wstyd mi?
Some feelings in Polish need no verb. You take a noun and add a to-whom pronoun: Wstyd mi — literally shame to me, I'm ashamed. żal mi — I feel sorry. Change the pronoun to change the person: wstyd mu, wstyd jej.
What does it look like in a Polish example sentence?
“Wstyd mi, że tak długo milczałem” — I am ashamed I kept silent for so long. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.