ile + Genitive

Ile with the Genitive

Level 2

The word ile is used for both countable and uncountable nouns. In most common questions, it requires the noun to be in the genitive case.

How It Works

In Polish, ile is the primary way to ask about quantity. Its behavior depends on the noun type and the grammatical case:

  • Countable Nouns: Use genitive plural. For example: Ile jabłek? (How many apples?).
  • Uncountable Nouns: Use genitive singular. For example: Ile wody? (How much water?).
  • Gender Distinction: The choice between ile and ilu depends on the grammatical gender of the noun. Use ilu only with masculine-personal nouns (e.g., Ilu studentów?). Use ile for all other genders, including the feminine noun osoby (people), which is commonly used for mixed-gender groups (e.g., Ile osób?).
  • Verb Agreement: When an ile phrase is the subject, the verb usually takes the neuter singular form in the past tense (e.g., Ile osób przyszło? - How many people came?).

Note: The 'genitive rule' applies when ile is in the nominative or accusative. If ile follows a preposition requiring a different case, it will agree with the noun in that case instead.

Examples (5)

  1. Ile to kosztuje?

    How much does this cost?

    Word by Word: How much this costs?

    A standard phrase for price. Here, 'ile' refers to an abstract amount of money.

  2. Ile masz lat?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: How many you have years?

    In Polish, you 'have years'. 'Lat' is the genitive plural of 'lata'.

  3. Ile czasu potrzebujesz?

    How much time do you need?

    Word by Word: How much time you need?

    'Czas' (time) is uncountable here, so it takes the genitive singular form 'czasu'.

  4. Ilu studentów jest w klasie?

    How many students are in the class?

    Word by Word: How many students is in class?

    Because 'studentów' refers to male people, we use the masculine-personal form 'ilu' instead of 'ile'.

  5. Ile osób było na imprezie?

    How many people were at the party?

    Word by Word: How many people was at party?

    Notice the verb 'było' is neuter singular, even though 'osób' (people) is plural. This is standard for quantity expressions.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case instead of the genitive after 'ile'.

    Ile jabłka masz?
    Ile jabłek masz?

    After 'ile', you must use the genitive plural for countable nouns like 'jabłka' (apples).

  • Using 'ile' with masculine-personal nouns.

    Ile lekarzy tam jest?
    Ilu lekarzy tam jest?

    When asking about nouns that belong to the masculine-personal gender (like 'lekarze' or 'studenci'), 'ile' changes to 'ilu'.

  • Using a plural verb with an 'ile' subject.

    Ile osób były?
    Ile osób było?

    Phrases with 'ile' usually trigger a singular neuter verb agreement in the past tense.

How It Connects

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ile + GenitiveLevel 2Ile with the Genitive

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Words in This Pattern

ile