Dates

Level 3

Polish dates use the Genitive case for both the day and the month to express 'on' a certain date. The day is an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, etc.) and the month is a noun.

How It Works

In Polish, expressing a date involves two main components: the day and the month. Unlike English, which uses the preposition 'on', Polish uses the genitive case itself to indicate the time.

1. The Day:
The day is always an ordinal number. Because it refers to the masculine noun dzień (day), it must be in the masculine genitive form, which typically ends in -ego (e.g., pierwszego, drugiego, dziesiątego).

2. The Month:
The month name must also be in the genitive singular. Most months end in -a (e.g., marca, maja, lipca). Note that luty (February) declines like an adjective (lutego).

3. Fleeting Vowels:
Some months lose a vowel when they change to the genitive case:

  • marzec (March) → marca
  • wrzesień (September) → września
  • grudzień (December) → grudnia

4. Nominative vs. Genitive:
If you are simply stating what today's date is (e.g., 'Today is the 1st'), you use the nominative for the day: Dzisiaj jest pierwszy maja. However, for events ('on the 1st'), the genitive is required: Spotkamy się pierwszego maja.

Examples (4)

  1. Urodziłem się dwudziestego czwartego grudnia.

    I was born on the twenty-fourth of December.

    Word by Word: I-born-myself twenty-fourth of-December.

    Both the day (dwudziestego czwartego) and the month (grudnia) are in the genitive case.

  2. Egzamin mamy pierwszego września.

    We have the exam on the first of September.

    Word by Word: Exam we-have first of-September.

    Note the fleeting 'e' in wrzesień disappears in the genitive form września.

  3. Spotkanie jest dziesiątego marca.

    The meeting is on the tenth of March.

    Word by Word: Meeting is tenth of-March.

    The ordinal 'dziesiąty' becomes 'dziesiątego' and 'marzec' becomes 'marca'.

  4. Jadę do Polski piątego maja.

    I am going to Poland on the fifth of May.

    Word by Word: I-go to Poland fifth of-May.

    The genitive case alone expresses the meaning of 'on' the fifth.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a preposition like 'w' or 'na' to mean 'on' a date.

    W piątego maja jadę do domu.
    Piątego maja jadę do domu.

    English speakers often try to translate 'on' literally. In Polish, the genitive case alone handles this function for dates.

  • Leaving the month in the nominative (dictionary) form.

    Spotkamy się drugiego maj.
    Spotkamy się drugiego maja.

    The month must always be in the genitive case when part of a date, even if the day is nominative.

How It Connects

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DatesLevel 3

Learn This First

Learn Ordinal Numbers, Genitive Case before Dates.