The Accusative Case (Biernik) in Polish

Benjamin Paddags Published: 2024-11-05
Updated: 2024-11-26

The accusative case, or biernik, is crucial for expressing direct objects and certain movements. It helps identify what receives the action of the verb. This chapter will delve into the uses, formation rules, and provide memory aids for mastering the accusative.

1. When to Use the Accusative Case

The accusative case mainly has the following functions:

• Direct Objects: Used to indicate the direct object of a verb, answering the question "whom?" or "what?"

  • Widzę kota ("I see a cat").

• Movement/Goal: Used with certain prepositions to indicate movement towards something or intention. As we already discussed in the chapter in locative, these prepositions include w (in), na (on), and po (along).

  • Prosić o pomoc ("to ask for help").

• Time Expressions: Used to express specific points or durations of time.

  • Czekam godzinę ("I wait for an hour").

2. Forming the Accusative Case

The endings in the accusative vary depending on the gender and animacy (whether the noun is alive or inanimate) of the noun.

Masculine Nouns

• Animate (people and animals): Accusative = genitive.

  • kot (cat) → Widzę kota ("I see a cat").

• Inanimate: Accusative = nominative.

  • Examples:
    • stół (table) → Widzę stół ("I see a table").
    • samochód (car) → Mam samochód ("I have a car").

Neuter Nouns

• Accusative = nominative.
  • dziecko (child) → Widzę dziecko ("I see a child").
  • okno (window) → Otwieram okno ("I open the window").

Feminine Nouns

Change -a to -ę.

• • Examples:
    • kobieta (woman) → Widzę kobietę ("I see a woman").
    • książka (book) → Mam książkę ("I have a book").
    • mężczyzna (book) → Widzę mężczyznę ("I see the man").

Note that mężczyzna behaves like a female noun here and that female nouns ending in consonants, such as noc, behave like masculine inanimate and don't change for the accusative.

Plural Forms

• Masculine Personal Nouns (now only men, no animals): The accusative plural matches the genitive plural.

  • Examples:
    • mężczyźni (men) → Widzę mężczyzn ("I see men").

• Other Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter Nouns: The accusative plural matches the nominative plural.

  • Examples:
    • stoły (tables) → Widzę stoły ("I see tables").
    • kobiety (women) → Widzę kobiety ("I see women").
    • okna (windows) → Otwieram okna ("I open windows").

3. Adjectives in the Accusative Case

Adjectives in the accusative must match the noun’s gender and number:

Singular

• Animate: Take the genitive form by adding -ego.

  • duży kot → Widzę dużego kota ("I see a big cat").

• Feminine: Change -a to -ą.

  • ładna kobieta → Widzę ładną kobietę ("I see a pretty woman").

• Neuter & Masculine Inanimate: Remain the same as the nominative form.

  • nowy stół → Mam nowy stół ("I have a new table").
  • małe dziecko → Widzę małe dziecko ("I see a small child").

Plural

• Masculine Personal: Match the genitive plural ending -ych/-ich.

  • duzi mężczyźni → Widzę dużych mężczyzn ("I see big men").

• Other Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter: Match the nominative plural ending -e or -i.

  • ładne kobiety → Widzę ładne kobiety ("I see pretty women").
  • małe dzieci → Widzę małe dzieci ("I see small children").

4. Memory Aids for the Accusative Case

• Direct Object Cue: If the noun receives the action of a verb, it’s likely accusative.
• Motion Memory: Accusative is frequently used for movement, akin to "heading towards."

Now give yourself some time to spot the patterns in real texts (e.g. using LanGam, where words in the accusative are accurately highlighted in the fifth chapter).
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