🇵🇱A1

A1 Polish GrammarArticles (Definite & Indefinite)

Polish has no articles - no equivalent of 'the' or 'a/an'. Learn how Polish uses word order, demonstratives, and context to convey definiteness. This is a major simplification compared to English and other European languages.

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Little Red Riding Hood

The Lion And The Mouse

Meeting The Neighbors

1No Articles in Polish

Polish has no articles - there is no word for 'the' or 'a/an'. This is one of the simplest aspects of Polish for English speakers. Context and word order indicate whether something is definite or indefinite.

Polish vs English

Polish	English (indefinite)	English (definite)
Mam książkę.	I have a book.	I have the book.
Widzę psa.	I see a dog.	I see the dog.
To jest dom.	This is a house.	This is the house.
Kobieta idzie.	A woman is walking.	The woman is walking.

Examples

Kupuję chleb.

I am buying bread / the bread.

context determines a/the

Samochód jest czerwony.

The car is red.

no article needed

Mam problem.

I have a problem.

indefinite from context

Dziecko śpi.

The child is sleeping.

definite from context

2Demonstratives for Emphasis

When you need to emphasize 'the' or 'this/that', Polish uses demonstratives: ten (this, masc.), ta (this, fem.), to (this, neut.). These decline for case, gender, and number.

Demonstrative Pronouns (Nominative)

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
this	ten	ta	to
that	tamten	tamta	tamto
these (masc.)	ci / te	te	te
those	tamci / tamte	tamte	tamte

Examples

Ten dom jest duży.

This house is big.

ten + masc. noun

Ta kobieta jest miła.

This woman is nice.

ta + fem. noun

To dziecko jest małe.

This child is small.

to + neut. noun

Tamten samochód jest mój.

That car is mine.

tamten for 'that' (distant)

3Word Order for Definiteness

Polish uses word order to signal definiteness. New or indefinite information typically comes at the end of the sentence, while known or definite information comes first. This is called information structure.

Word Order and Meaning

Polish	Emphasis	English
Książka jest na stole.	the book (known)	The book is on the table.
Na stole jest książka.	a book (new info)	There's a book on the table.
Kot śpi.	the cat (known)	The cat is sleeping.
Śpi kot.	a cat (new info)	A cat is sleeping.

Examples

Pies jest w ogrodzie.

The dog is in the garden.

known subject first = definite

W ogrodzie jest pies.

There is a dog in the garden.

new info at end = indefinite

Maria przyszła.

Maria came.

subject first (expected)

Przyszła Maria.

Maria came. (unexpected)

subject last (surprising)

4Jeden as Indefinite Marker

Sometimes jeden (one) is used like an indefinite article to emphasize 'a certain' or 'one particular'. This is optional and adds slight emphasis. It declines for gender and case.