Present Third-Person Plural

Level 1

The third-person plural is used to talk about 'them'. It is formed by adding -ą or -ją to the verb stem. In Polish, the pronoun 'they' is often omitted because the verb ending clearly identifies the subject.

How It Works

To form the third-person plural, you must identify the verb's conjugation group:

  • -ją ending: Used for verbs in the -am/-asz group (e.g., czytają) and verbs in the small -em/-esz group like umieją and rozumieją.
  • -ą ending: Used for verbs in the -ę/-isz and -ę/-ysz groups (robią, uczą) and the -ę/-esz group (piszą). For -uję/-ujesz verbs, the -ą follows the 'j' in the stem (pracują).

The Stem Rule: The 3rd person plural (they) usually uses the same stem as the 1st person singular (I). If the 'I' form has a 'hard' consonant (like niosę or plotę), the 'they' form keeps it (niosą, plotą), while the 'you/he/she' forms soften it (niesiesz, pleciesz).

Important Exceptions:

  • The verb być (to be) becomes są.
  • In the small -em/-esz group, the high-frequency verbs jeść (to eat) and wiedzieć (to know) become jedzą and wiedzą.

Impersonal Use: You can use the plural form to mean 'people in general' (e.g., Mówią, że...). For other general statements, Polish often uses the impersonal się construction.

A Practical Shortcut: If the first-person singular ends in -ę, replace that final letter with -ą: piszę → piszą, robię → robią, pracuję → pracują. This preserves the stem already present in the “I” form. Do not apply the shortcut to -m forms such as jem → jedzą or to irregular jestem → są.

Examples (6)

  1. Oni są teraz w domu.

    They are at home now.

    Word by Word: They are now in home.

    The verb być (to be) is irregular; its third-person plural form is 'są'.

  2. Studenci piszą teraz test.

    The students are writing a test now.

    Word by Word: Students write now test.

    The verb 'pisać' (to write) belongs to the -ę/-esz group and takes the -ą ending.

  3. Oni często grają w tenisa.

    They often play tennis.

    Word by Word: They often play in tennis.

    The verb 'grać' (to play) belongs to the -am/-asz group, so it takes the -ją ending.

  4. One bardzo dobrze gotują.

    They (women/non-masculine) cook very well.

    Word by Word: They very well cook.

    In verbs like 'gotować', the -uję/-ujesz pattern results in the ending -ą being added to the stem ending in 'j' (gotuj-ą).

  5. Mówią, że jutro będzie padać.

    They say that it will rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: They-say, that tomorrow will-be to-rain.

    This is an impersonal use of the third-person plural, similar to 'people say'.

  6. Dzieci jedzą obiad.

    The children are eating dinner.

    Word by Word: Children eat dinner.

    The verb 'jeść' (to eat) is an exception in the -em/-esz group; its third-person plural form is 'jedzą'.

Common Mistakes

  • Replacing nasal ą with ordinary a.

    Oni pisza.
    Oni piszą.

    Write ą, whose careful word-final pronunciation has an o-like vowel with nasalization. It is not ordinary a or necessarily a separate final n.

  • Confusing the 'I' form (-ę) with the 'they' form (-ą).

    Ja piszą.
    Ja piszę.

    Because -ę and -ą look and sound similar, beginners often swap them. Remember: -ę is for 'I', and -ą is for 'they'.

  • Using plural verbs with numbers 5 and above.

    Pięć osób idą.
    Pięć osób idzie.

    In Polish, when using numbers 5 or higher, the verb actually switches to the singular form. This is known as the '5+ rule'.

How It Connects

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Present Third-Person PluralLevel 1

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Words in This Pattern

-ą