Nominative Case

Level 1

The Nominative case (mianownik) is the foundational, "dictionary" form of a Polish word. It is primarily used to mark the subject of a sentence—the person or thing performing the action.

How It Works

Because the Nominative is the default form, it is the starting point for learning Polish vocabulary. In Polish grammar, it answers the questions kto? co? (who? what?). However, it still has specific rules and uses:

1. The Subject
The main job of the Nominative is to show who or what is doing the action. In the sentence Pies biegnie (The dog is running), pies is in the Nominative. Any adjective describing the subject must also be in the Nominative case. However, there is an important exception: when talking about absence using nie ma (is not here), the logical subject changes to the Genitive case (e.g., Marek tu jest vs. Marka tu nie ma).

2. The 'To jest' Rule
When you point something out and say "This is a...", you use to jest followed by the Nominative case. For example: To jest mój brat (This is my brother).

Important Exception for Nouns: If you use any subject (like a pronoun, a person's name, or another noun) with the verb być (to be), like On jest... (He is...) or Marek jest... (Marek is...) followed by a noun, you cannot use the Nominative. You must use Identity With The Instrumental instead (e.g., On jest bratem). However, Predicate Adjectives Stay Nominative (e.g., On jest zmęczony - He is tired). Another key exception is the word jako (as) — when saying what you work as, the noun stays in the Nominative (e.g., Pracuję jako nauczyciel - I work as a teacher).

3. The 'X to Y' Shortcut
If you want to say one thing is another without using the Instrumental case, you can use the word to instead of jest. In Identity Sentences With To, both nouns stay in the Nominative! For example: Kasia to studentka (Kasia is a student).

4. Informal Direct Address
In modern everyday Polish, the Nominative is frequently used instead of the formal Vocative case when addressing people informally (e.g., Cześć, Marek! instead of Cześć, Marku!). However, female diminutives (like Kasiu or Aniu) still typically use the Vocative case for warmth and naturalness.

5. Endings and Numbers
Even though it's the dictionary form, the Nominative changes based on gender and number. In the plural, there is a crucial split between masculine-personal nouns (groups with at least one male) and all other nouns. Additionally, the Nominative plural is only used for quantities of 2, 3, and 4. For quantities of 5 and above, you must use the Genitive plural instead (see Five And Higher). You can learn more about these patterns in Nominative Singular Endings and Nominative Plural Endings.

Examples (4)

  1. Mój nowy samochód jest bardzo szybki.

    My new car is very fast.

    Word by Word: My new car is very fast.

    Here, 'mój nowy samochód' is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the Nominative case.

  2. To jest dobra książka.

    This is a good book.

    Word by Word: This is good book.

    After the phrase 'to jest' (this is), we always use the Nominative case.

  3. Studenci czytają tekst.

    The students are reading the text.

    Word by Word: Students read text.

    'Studenci' is the plural Nominative form, acting as the subject doing the reading.

  4. Kraków to piękne miasto.

    Krakow is a beautiful city.

    Word by Word: Krakow this beautiful city.

    When using 'to' to link two nouns, both the subject (Kraków) and the description (piękne miasto) are in the Nominative.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Nominative instead of the Instrumental to state someone's profession or identity with a subject like a pronoun, name, or noun.

    On jest dobry lekarz.
    On jest dobrym lekarzem.

    When you use any subject (like a pronoun, a name, or another noun) directly with the verb 'być' (to be), the following noun must be in the Instrumental case. You only use the Nominative for identity when using the specific phrase 'to jest' (e.g., To jest dobry lekarz).

  • Using the Nominative case for the direct object of a sentence.

    Mam nowa książka.
    Mam nową książkę.

    The nominative is mainly for the subject (the doer). The target of an action (like what you have or see) needs the Accusative Objects case.

How It Connects

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

Nominative CaseLevel 1

Learn This First

Learn The Seven Cases before Nominative Case.