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A2 · Basics · Lesson 12
Adjectives & agreement
An adjective copies its noun's gender, number and case.
Adjectives echo their noun, so the ending shifts whenever the noun does. Master the three basic gender endings first; after that it is just matching coats.
| Gender | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | -y / -i | dobry, wysoki |
| Feminine | -a | dobra, wysoka |
| Neuter | -e | dobre, wysokie |
| Men (plural) | -i / -y | dobrzy, mili |
- •The adjective sits before the noun: nowy samochód.
- •It changes case with the noun: Lubię dobrą kawę (accusative).
Quick check
'a new job' (praca, fem):
Feminine adjective ends in -a: nowa.
Adjectives must match the noun in…
They agree in gender, number and case.
Practice
Now produce the answers yourself — type them, choose the form, or build the sentence.
___ kawa (good, feminine)
Lubię ___ kawę. (good — accusative f.)
adj copies the case: dobrą.
wysok__ drzewo (neuter)
neuter adj → -ie/-e.
Say: I have a new job.
Build the sentence — tap the words in order:
What this lesson covered
Adjectives in Polish must agree with their noun in gender, number and case, and this lesson showed the core of that agreement. The dictionary form is masculine and ends in -y or -i (duży dom); make the noun feminine and the ending becomes -a (nowa książka); make it neuter and it becomes -e (małe dziecko). So a single adjective like “red” appears as czerwony, czerwona or czerwone depending on what it describes. This is the single most useful adjective pattern in the language, and colours, sizes and opinions all follow it. The habit to build is to change the adjective ending to match the noun every time, rather than leaving it in its dictionary form. Practise pairing a describing word with different nouns and the agreement soon becomes reflexive.