Polish Grammar for Genealogists  

Copyright  ©  2013  by  Fay  Bussgang  

CONCEPTS of POLISH GRAMMAR •  CASE: indicates function of word in sentence

DECLINATION: process of changing the ending of a word according to its case CASE ENDING: depends on case, gender, number, and stem

•  GENDER: masculine, feminine, neuter •  NUMBER: singular or plural •  STEM: part of sentence that remains same or changes only slightly when endings are added

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CASES USEFUL FOR GENEALOGISTS

•  NOMINATIVE: SUBJECT OF SENTENCE

•  GENITIVE: DENOTES “OF,” POSSESSION (used with “z / ze” to mean “from”)

•  INSTRUMENTAL: WITH OR BY WHOM SOMETHING IS DONE

(used with “z / ze” to mean “with”)

•  LOCATIVE: LOCATION OF ACTION (used with preposition “w” / “we” meaning “in”)

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SAMPLE DECLENSION                          

Feminine Noun

•  NOMINATIVE: Warszaw/a

•  GENITIVE: Warszaw/y

•  INSTRUMENTAL: Warszaw/ą

•  LOCATIVE: Warszaw/ie

STEM = Warszaw/ ENDINGS = “a” “y” “ą” “ie”

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GENITIVE CASE: Feminine Town Names

                usually end in “a” in the NOMINATIVE; may end in “double consonants” or “ew”

NOMINATIVE GENITIVE (add “y” or “i”) Warszawa Warszawy Warta Warty Horodenka Horodenki Bydgoszcz Bydgoszczy Łódź Łodzi (slashes dropped) Żółkiew Żółkwi (“ie” dropped)  

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GENITIVE CASE: Masculine Town Names

                            end in consonant in NOMINATIVE most form GENITIVE by adding “a” Foreign cities & a few compound names add “u” NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Kra'ków Krako'wa (slash dropped) Gdańsk Gdań'ska Włocła'wek Włocław'ka (e dropped) Po'znań Pozna'nia (slash ➞ “i”) Za'mość Zamo'ścia (slash ➞ “i”) Lon'dyn Londyn'u Raj'gród Raj/gro'du (compound word)  

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GENITIVE CASE: Neuter Town Names

Neuter Town Names end in “o,” sometimes in “e”; add “a” in GENITIVE

NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Chełmno Chełmna Radomsko Radomska Opole Opola

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GENITIVE CASE: Plural Town Names

Plural Town Names end in “i,” “y,” and “e”, drop final vowel in GENITIVE

NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Chęci'ny Chę'cin (accent changes) Suwał'ki Suwa'łek (adds “e” before “k”) Katowi'ce Kato'wic (accent changes)

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ADDING OR SUBTRACTING “e”/“ie”                       Nominative Genitive

Feminine Town Name Żółkiew Żółkwi [“ie” before final consonant removed before ending]

Masculine Town/ Name Włocławek Włocławka [“e” before final consonant Herszek Herszka removed before adding Mosiek Mośka masculine ending “a”] (“si” becomes “ś”)

Plural Town Name [“i/e” cut off, “e” added Suwałki Suwałek before final consonant] Siedlce Siedlec     9  

GENITIVE CASE: SURNAMES

                 NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Masc. Surnames Goldberg Goldberga

Nowak Nowaka Fem. Surnames Kwarta Kwarty

Spira Spiry Surnames ending Spiro Spiry

in “o”  

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GENITIVE CASE: GIVEN NAMES

             NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Male names Hersz Hersza

Lajbuś Lajbusia (ending in “a”) Szlama Szlamy

Szaja Szaji/ Szai Female names Laja Laji/ Lai

Ester/Estera Estery Ruchel/Ruchla Ruchli

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GENITIVE CASE: SURNAMES LIKE ADJECTIVES

       NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Male Kowalski Kowalskiego

Sawicki Sawickiego Female Kowalska Kowalskiej

Sawicka Sawickiej Couple Kowalscy Kowalskich

Sawiccy Sawickich

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GENITIVE FOR WOMEN’S SURNAMES

(TO INDICATE IF WOMAN IS MARRIED OR UNMARRIED)

NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Mrs. Glasman: Glasmanowa Glasmanowej (adj) Miss Glasman: Glasmanówna Glasmanówny (n) Daughter of Hersz: Sura Herszówna Sury Herszówny (n)

(TO INDICATE MAIDEN NAME OF MARRIED WOMAN)

Rywka z Bursztajnów Najman (from the Bursztajn family)

Ruchel z Kowalskich Nowak (from the Kowalski family)

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INSTRUMENTAL CASE (z / ze = with)

NOMINATIVE INSTRUMENTAL Men: Szmul Kron ze Szmulem Kronem

'' (or) ze Szmulem Kron Aron Kowalski z Aronem Kowalskim

Women: Ruchla Goldberg z Ruchlą Goldberg Fajga Kowalska z Fajgą Kowalską Sura Moszkówna z Surą Moszkówną

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LOCATIVE CASE follows “w” or “we,” ending based on:

•  GENDER [masculine, feminine, neuter]

•  NUMBER [singular or plural]

•  STEM [hard, soft, or velar (guttural)]

Nature of stem depends on sound of last consonant, not of last letter if it is a vowel

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LOCATIVE CASE HARD STEMS (all genders)

Stems “b, f, m, n, p, s, w, or z” (soften by adding “i” before “e” ending)

NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE Dęba w Dębie Chełmno w Chełmnie Lublin w Lublinie Warszawa w Warszawie Kraków w Krakowie

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LOCATIVE CASE HARD STEMS (all genders)

Stems “d, ł, r, and t” (softened before adding “e” ending)

d➞dzi Rajgród w Rajgrodzie ł➞l Skała w Skale r➞rz Góra w Górze t➞ci Łańcut w Łańcucie

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LOCATIVE CASE VELAR STEMS

Velar stem = final consonant “k, g, ch”

Feminine (soften velar stem before adding “e”)

NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE ch➞sz Bierwicha w Bierwisze g➞dz Struga w Strudze k➞c Horodenka w Horodence

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LOCATIVE CASE VELAR STEMS

Velar stem = final consonant is “k, g, ch” Masculine and Neuter (add “u” to stem)

NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Tarnobrzeg w Tarnobrzegu Płock w Płocku Włocławek w Włocławku (drop “e”) Radomsko w Radomsku

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LOCATIVE CASE SOFT STEMS

Stems [c, j, l] [ć, ń, ś, ź, ż] [cz, rz, sz]

Feminine (add “i” or “y” to stem)

NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE Dębica w Dębicy Bochnia w Bochni Łódź w Łodzi [drop slashes] Bydgoszcz w Bydgoszczy

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LOCATIVE CASE SOFT STEMS

Stems [c, j, l] [ć, ń, ś, ź, ż] [cz, rz, sz]

Masculine and Neuter (add “u” to stem)

NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE Mielec w Mielcu (e dropped) Opole w Opolu Toruń w Toruniu Zgierz w Zgierzu

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LOCATIVE CASE PLURAL

all add “ach” to stem

NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE

Brzeziny w Brzezinach Chęciny w Chęcinach Katowice w Katowicach Suwałki w Suwałkach

 

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WORKING BACKWARD

   LOCATIVE NOMINATIVE w Warszawie Warszawa w Lublinie Lublin w Łodzi Łódź w Brzezinach Brzeziny w Warcie ?Warc/Warca? w Warce ? Warc?

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WORKING BACKWARD  Hard stems: t➞ci Velar stem (if feminine): k➞c

LOCATIVE NOMINATIVE w War/ci/e War/t + a Warta w War/c/e War/k + a Warka przy mat/c/e mat/k + a matka (mother)

[przy = near/with] Irregular masculine soft stem:

przy ojc/u ojciec (father) 24  

MULTIPLE TRANSFORMATIONS t➞ci a➞e s➞ś

NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE (town/city) miasto w mieście ALTERNATION of “a” to “e” / “ą” to “ę” Soften consonant preceding softened consonant

NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE a➞e z➞ź Ujazd w Ujeździe ą➞ę Dąb w Dębie

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ADJECTIVES USED IN TOWN NAMES        NOMINATIVE GENITIVE LOCATIVE

Common Modifier of Town Names [new]: Feminine Nowa Nowej Nowej Masculine Nowy Nowego Nowym Neuter Nowe Nowego Nowym Plural Nowe Nowych Nowych Region where town is located (Mazowie). Follows town name: Feminine Mazowiecka Mazowieckiej Mazowieckiej Masculine Mazowiecki Mazowieckiego Mazowieckim Neuter Mazowieckie Mazowieckiego Mazowieckim Plural Mazowieckie Mazowieckich Mazowieckich

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ADJECTIVES USED IN TOWN NAMES   NOMINATIVE GENITIVE LOCATIVE

Compound Name (Adjective + Noun) Feminine Zduńska Wola z Zduńskiej Woli w Zduńskiej Woli Feminine Zielona Góra z Zielonej Góry w Zielonej Górze Masculine Białystok z Białegostoku w Białymstoku

Białystok is a compound word “Biały” (white) “stok” (hill) Rarities: Town Names declinated like adjectives: Feminine Dobra (good) z Dobrej w Dobrej Masculine Głuchy (silent) z Głuchego w Głuchym

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