Other Adjective Plurals

Level 2

In Polish, adjectives have two plural forms. The nonvirile (non-masculine-personal) form is the 'everything else' category. It is used for women, children, animals, and objects. The primary ending is -e.

How It Works

The nonvirile plural (rodzaj niemęskoosobowy) is the most frequent plural form in Polish because it is the default for almost everything.

1. When to use it:
Use this form whenever the group you are describing does not include a human male. This includes:

  • Groups of women (kobiety)
  • Groups of children (dzieci)
  • Animals, even if they are male (psy, koty)
  • Inanimate objects (stoły, książki)

2. How to form it:
These endings apply to the Nominative, Accusative, and Vocative cases. The ending attaches to the adjective stem:

  • Hard Stems: Add -e. (e.g., nowy → nowe, młody → młode)
  • Velar Stems (k, g): Add -ie. (e.g., wysoki → wysokie, drogi → drogie)
  • Soft Stems (ending in i): Add -e. (e.g., tani → tanie, ostatni → ostatnie)

3. Pro-Tip:
The nonvirile plural adjective form is identical to the neuter singular form (e.g., nowe auto → nowe auta).

4. Key Difference:
Unlike the masculine-personal plural, the nonvirile plural is simple. You do not need to change the consonants of the stem (e.g., stary stays stare, it doesn't become starzy).

Examples (5)

  1. Dobre książki leżą na stole.

    Good books are lying on the table.

    Word by Word: Good books lie on table.

    'Książki' is feminine plural, so the adjective 'dobry' takes the nonvirile ending '-e'.

  2. Małe dzieci bawią się w ogrodzie.

    Small children are playing in the garden.

    Word by Word: Small children play themselves in garden.

    Even though they are people, 'dzieci' is grammatically neuter and uses the nonvirile plural 'małe'.

  3. Widzę stare domy.

    I see old houses.

    Word by Word: I see old houses.

    'Domy' are masculine inanimate objects, so they use the nonvirile form 'stare'.

  4. Twoje koty są bardzo drogie.

    Your cats are very expensive.

    Word by Word: Your cats are very expensive.

    Animals, like 'koty', always take the nonvirile plural, even if they are male cats.

  5. Tanie owoce są w tym sklepie.

    Cheap fruits are in this shop.

    Word by Word: Cheap fruits are in this shop.

    'Owoce' (fruits) is a masculine inanimate noun, requiring the nonvirile 'tanie'.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating 'children' as masculine-personal.

    Mili dzieci.
    Miłe dzieci.

    Learners often think 'dzieci' (children) should use the masculine-personal form because they are humans. However, 'dziecko' is neuter, so its plural is always nonvirile.

  • Applying masculine-personal stem mutations to animals.

    Młodzi psy.
    Młode psy.

    Even if you have a group of male dogs, they are grammatically nonvirile. Do not change the 'd' to 'dz'; just use the '-e' ending.

  • Using the masculine-personal ending -i/-y for objects.

    Nowi samochody.
    Nowe samochody.

    Objects (masculine inanimate) never take the masculine-personal ending. Always use '-e' for plural objects.

How It Connects

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Other Adjective PluralsLevel 2

Learn This First

Learn Adjective Agreement before Other Adjective Plurals.