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Polish grammar · Level A1

Gender in Polish: mój, moja, moje

Every noun has a gender, and pronouns and adjectives agree with it: mój nowy kot, moja nowa książka, moje nowe okno. You can usually tell the gender from the last letter.

QuizContents
Contents
  1. How to tell the gender
  2. Possessives and demonstratives
  3. The plural
  4. Common mistakes
  5. Quiz
  6. FAQ

How to tell the gender

Masculine nouns end in a consonant: kot, dom, telefon. Feminine in -a: kawa, książka, mama (plus some soft-consonant words: noc, rzecz). Neuter in -o, -e, -ę, -um: okno, morze, imię, muzeum. Words in -a that mean men (mężczyzna, kolega) are masculine.

  • To jest mój kot.This is my cat.
  • To jest moja siostra.This is my sister.
  • Moje mieszkanie jest małe.My flat is small.

Tip: Watch out for false friends of gender: mieszkanie (flat) is neuter, muzeum is neuter, kolega is masculine.

Possessives and demonstratives

Mój, twój, nasz, wasz, swój change for gender. Jego (his), jej (her), ich (their) never do: jego kot, jego siostra, jego okno. Demonstratives: ten (m), ta (f), to (n).

Pronouns by gender (singular)
masc.fem.neut.
mymójmojamoje
yourtwójtwojatwoje
ournasznaszanasze
thistentato
adjectivenowy, taninowa, tanianowe, tanie
  • Ta książka jest bardzo ciekawa.This book is very interesting.
  • To jest jej samochód.This is her car.

The plural

In the plural Polish has just two “genders”: men (or a mixed group with a man) and everything else. For men: moi, ci, nowi — moi bracia, ci studenci. For the rest: moje, te, nowe — moje siostry, te koty, nowe okna.

  • Moi rodzice mieszkają w Gdańsku.My parents live in Gdańsk.
  • Te buty są nowe.These shoes are new.

Common mistakes

The mistakes people make most often — and the right way.

  • Wrong: moja mieszkanie

    Right: moje mieszkanie

    Mieszkanie is neuter.

  • Wrong: mój kawa

    Right: moja kawa

    Kawa is feminine.

  • Wrong: jega siostra

    Right: jego siostra

    Jego never changes.

  • Wrong: moje bracia

    Right: moi bracia

    Men in the plural: moi.

Noun gender: mój, moja, moje

Quiz

10 questions: choose the right option — the explanation appears straight away.

  1. Question 1

    To jest _____ kot.

  2. Question 2

    To jest _____ mama.

  3. Question 3

    _____ okno jest otwarte.

  4. Question 4

    Mam _____ samochód.

  5. Question 5

    Marek ma siostrę. To jest _____ siostra.

  6. Question 6

    _____ książka jest ciekawa.

  7. Question 7

    To jest _____ dziecko.

  8. Question 8

    To jest mój _____ kolega.

  9. Question 9

    _____ bracia są w szkole.

  10. Question 10

    Gdzie są _____ klucze?

Correct: 0 of 10

Read next

FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

Why is mieszkanie neuter?

Because Polish gender follows the Polish ending: -e makes it neuter. Don’t carry gender over from translations: muzeum is neuter, kolega masculine.

What is swój?

It means “one’s own”, referring to the subject: Marek kocha swoją żonę — Marek loves his (own) wife. Jego żonę would mean another man’s wife.

How does mój change in other cases?

Like an adjective: mojego brata, mojej siostry, z moim bratem, z moją siostrą. See the topics on the genitive and the instrumental.

Other topics

All topics50 most common Polish wordsPolish level test

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