Family and Friends - Describing Relationships
Talk about your family and friends in Polish. Learn the words for family members and the little words for my, which change to match whether a noun is masculine, feminine or neuter.
Practise it before the paper, not after
Free, interactive practice on the words and structures the examiner keeps asking for.
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Family and friends in Polish
To talk about your family and friends in Polish you need the vocabulary, a couple of describing words like miły (nice), and the word for my. The word for my changes to match the noun: mój for a masculine noun, moja for a feminine noun, and moje for a neuter noun. Learn each family word and you can start describing the people around you.
Words for the family
Learn each family word with its English meaning:
Masculine or feminine?
Every Polish noun has a gender, and the word for my must match it. Here are family nouns sorted by gender:
Match the Polish to the English
- ojciec
- matka
- brat
- siostra
- father
- mother
- brother
- sister
The Polish word for sister
Which Polish word means sister?
- siostra
- matka
- brat
- córka
Saying my: mój, moja, moje
The word for my matches the gender of the noun. Use mój before a masculine noun (mój ojciec), moja before a feminine noun (moja matka), and moje before a neuter noun (moje dziecko, my child). Get the gender right and the word for my follows.
Match each form of my
- mój
- moja
- moje
- Used before a masculine noun, like mój ojciec
- Used before a feminine noun, like moja matka
- Used before a neuter noun, like moje dziecko
Correct Polish?
Select the TWO phrases that correctly use mój for my.
- mój ojciec
- mój brat
- mój matka
- mój siostra
Build the sentence
Put the words in order to make the Polish for This is my brother.
- To
- jest
- mój
- brat
Watch the Polish ending change after it
The family words become sentences with mam (I have) and jest (is). Watch what happens to the ending of the word that follows mam: - Mam brata i siostrę = "I have a brother and a sister". brat becomes brata, and siostra becomes siostrę. That ending change is the accusative case, which Polish uses for the thing you have. - Moja siostra jest miła = "my sister is nice". After jest the noun keeps its plain form. miła agrees with siostra because siostra is feminine; for a brother you would say Mój brat jest miły.
After mam, a noun changes its ending
After mam, a noun changes its ending. Which of these says "I have a brother and a sister"?
- Mam brata i siostrę
- Mam brat i siostra
- Mam brata i siostra
- Moja siostra jest miła
Complete the Polish
My father is _____ ojciec. My mother is _____ matka. My child is _____ dziecko. Your father is _____ ojciec. Your mother is _____ matka.
Polish possessives
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- mój is used before a masculine noun, like mój ojciec.
- moja is used before a feminine noun, like moja matka.
- The word for my never changes in Polish.
- siostra means brother.
- matka is a masculine noun.
Choose my
Choose the correct word for my each time, matching the gender of the noun.
- You want to say my father. The noun ojciec is masculine. Which word do you use?
- You want to say my mother. The noun matka is feminine. Which word do you use?
- You want to say my child. The noun dziecko is neuter. Which word do you use?
Explain the rule
In English, explain how the Polish word for my changes with the gender of the noun, and give a Polish example of each form. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Explain when to use mój
- Explain when to use moja
- Explain when to use moje
- Give a Polish example of each, with its English meaning