Active Adjectival Participles

Level 4

The active adjectival participle (imiesłów przymiotnikowy czynny) turns a verb into an adjective ending in -ący. It describes someone or something performing an action or having an ongoing property, relative to the situation being described.

How It Works

The active adjectival participle is a powerful tool in formal and written Polish to condense sentences. Instead of saying 'the man who is reading,' you can say 'the reading man.'

1. Formation:
Take the 3rd person plural (oni/one) form of an imperfective verb and replace the final -ą with the following endings:

  • -ący (Masculine Singular)
  • -ąca (Feminine Singular)
  • -ące (Neuter Singular / Non-Masculine Personal Plural)
  • -ący (Masculine Personal Plural)

Note: The verb być is irregular and forms będący.

2. Agreement & Case:
Because it acts as an adjective, it must follow adjective agreement rules. Crucially, the participle's object retains the case required by the original verb (e.g., czytający książkę uses the accusative because czytać requires it).

3. Reflexives & Negation:

  • Reflexives: If the verb uses się, it must be included: uczący się student (a studying student).
  • Negation: When negating a participle, nie is written as one word: niepalący chłopak (a non-smoking boy). Importantly, if the original verb takes an accusative object, negating the participle triggers the genitive of negation (e.g., nieczytający książki - not reading a book).

4. Word Order:

  • Single Participle: Usually precedes the noun (e.g., śpiące dziecko - a sleeping child).
  • Participial Phrase: When the participle has its own object or adverb, the whole phrase typically follows the noun (e.g., dziecko śpiące w wózku - the child sleeping in the stroller).

5. Usage & Register:
In casual speech, Poles usually prefer a relative clause with który. The participle is more common in journalism, academic writing, and formal instructions.

Aspect Restriction: Productive -ący participles use imperfective verbs: czytają → czytający (reading). Do not form a regular active participle from perfective przeczytać; use chłopak, który przeczytał książkę (the boy who read the book) for a completed event. The participle can be simultaneous with a past situation too: Widziałem płaczące dziecko (I saw a crying child). It does not inherently mean “right now.”

Examples (5)

  1. Widzę śpiące dziecko.

    I see a sleeping child.

    Word by Word: I-see sleeping child.

    Here, 'śpiące' is the neuter accusative form of 'śpiący', agreeing with 'dziecko'.

  2. Pasażerowie podróżujący z dziećmi mają pierwszeństwo.

    Passengers traveling with children have priority.

    Word by Word: Passengers traveling with children have priority.

    This is a classic formal usage, replacing the clause 'którzy podróżują' (who travel).

  3. Nie lubię szczekających psów.

    I don't like barking dogs.

    Word by Word: Not I-like barking dogs.

    The participle 'szczekających' is in the genitive plural to match 'psów' after the negated verb.

  4. To jest bardzo palący problem.

    This is a very burning (urgent) problem.

    Word by Word: This is very burning problem.

    Some participles, like 'palący', have become standard adjectives with figurative meanings.

  5. Szukam osoby znającej język polski.

    I am looking for a person who knows the Polish language.

    Word by Word: I-look-for person knowing language Polish.

    'Znającej' is the feminine genitive form, agreeing with 'osoby'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the participle with a perfective verb.

    przeczytający chłopak
    chłopak, który przeczytał

    Active adjectival participles can only be formed from imperfective verbs. For completed actions, you must use a relative clause with który.

  • Omitting the reflexive particle 'się'.

    śmiejący człowiek
    śmiejący się człowiek

    If the original verb is reflexive (like 'śmiać się'), the participle must retain the się. A simple neutral order places się just after the participle. Do not omit it; more complex phrases can place it before the participle, so this is not an absolute positional rule.

  • Failing to decline the participle for case agreement.

    Rozmawiam z panem pracujący w biurze.
    Rozmawiam z panem pracującym w biurze.

    Since 'z panem' is in the instrumental case, the participle must also change to the instrumental form 'pracującym'.

How It Connects

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Active Adjectival ParticiplesLevel 4

Learn This First

Learn Present Tense, Adjective Agreement before Active Adjectival Participles.

Words in This Pattern

-ący