oni / ich / im / nimi

Masculine-Personal Pronoun Cases

Level 3

Oni (they) is the specific pronoun for groups of people that include at least one man. It changes its form based on the grammatical case and whether it follows a preposition (adding an n- prefix).

How It Works

Third-person plural pronouns decline for six of the seven Polish cases (they do not have a Vocative form). A key feature is the n-prefix, which is added to most forms when they follow a preposition.

Case Breakdown (Masculine-Personal / Non-Masculine-Personal):

  • Nominative: oni / one (Subject: 'They')
  • Genitive: ich (or nich after prepositions) (Both genders)
  • Dative: im (or nim after prepositions) (Both genders)
  • Accusative: For oni, the form is ich (nich after prepositions). For one, the form is je (nie after prepositions).
  • Instrumental: nimi (This form is the same for both genders and always starts with 'n', even when used without a preposition, such as after a verb like Interesuję się nimi).
  • Locative: nich (Always used with a preposition) (Both genders).

The n-prefix Rule:
When a pronoun follows a preposition (like do, z, o, na), you must use the form starting with n-. Note that in the Accusative, the non-masculine-personal form becomes nie, not nich.

Possessive 'ich':
When ich means 'their' (e.g., ich dom), it is an indeclinable possessive and never takes the n-prefix, even after a preposition (e.g., w ich domu).

Examples (6)

  1. Oni są moimi braćmi.

    They are my brothers.

    Word by Word: They are my brothers.

    Uses the nominative form oni as the subject for a group of men.

  2. Widzę ich codziennie w pracy.

    I see them every day at work.

    Word by Word: I see them daily in work.

    Uses the accusative form ich as the direct object for a masculine-personal group.

  3. Czekam na nich pod kinem.

    I am waiting for them in front of the cinema.

    Word by Word: I wait on them under cinema.

    Uses the form nich because it follows the preposition 'na' and refers to a masculine-personal group.

  4. Czekam na nie przed szkołą.

    I am waiting for them in front of the school.

    Word by Word: I wait on them before school.

    Uses the form nie after a preposition when referring to a non-masculine-personal group (e.g., women or things).

  5. Chcę iść z nimi na spacer.

    I want to go for a walk with them.

    Word by Word: I want to go with them on walk.

    Uses the instrumental form nimi after the preposition 'z'.

  6. Daję im prezent.

    I am giving them a gift.

    Word by Word: I give to-them gift.

    Uses the dative form im as the indirect object.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'oni' for groups of objects or animals.

    Samochody są szybkie. Oni są drogie.
    Samochody są szybkie. One są drogie.

    'Oni' is strictly for groups containing male humans. For objects like cars (samochody), use 'one'.

  • Forgetting the n-prefix after a preposition.

    Idę do ich.
    Idę do nich.

    When a 3rd person pronoun follows a preposition, it must take the 'n-' prefix (ich becomes nich).

  • Adding an n-prefix to the possessive 'ich' (their).

    Mieszkam w nich domu.
    Mieszkam w ich domu.

    When 'ich' functions as a possessive adjective ('their'), it never takes the n-prefix, even after a preposition.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

oni / ich / im / nimiLevel 3Masculine-Personal Pronoun Cases

Learn This First

Learn The Seven Cases before Masculine-Personal Pronoun Cases.

Words in This Pattern

oni