który (zdanie względne)

Relative Clauses with Który

Level 3

Który is the Polish equivalent of 'who', 'which', or 'that'. It is used to describe a specific noun in more detail. Unlike English, it cannot be omitted, it must match the noun's gender and number, and the relative clause must be separated by commas.

How It Works

In Polish, relative clauses are essential for adding detail to a sentence. The pronoun który is the most common way to form these clauses.

1. Agreement Rules
To use który correctly, you must look in two directions:

  • Backward: It must match the gender and number of the noun it is describing.
  • Forward: It must take the grammatical case required by the verb or preposition inside the relative clause.

2. Punctuation and Placement
A comma is mandatory at the start of the relative clause. If the clause is in the middle of a sentence, you must also use a 'closing comma' at the end. If there is a preposition, the comma goes before the preposition (e.g., dom, w którym mieszkam).

3. No Omission
Unlike English, where you can say 'The man I saw', Polish requires the pronoun: Człowiek, którego widziałem. You can never drop the relative pronoun.

4. Mandatory 'Co'
While który is standard for nouns, you must use co when the antecedent is an indefinite pronoun like wszystko (everything), to (that), nic (nothing), or coś (something). For example: Wszystko, co mam. Additionally, use co when the relative clause refers back to an entire preceding sentence: On zapomniał kluczy, co było problemem.

5. Informal 'Co' and Resumptive Pronouns
In informal Polish, co is often used as a universal substitute. However, when replacing a non-nominative form, it usually requires a 'resumptive pronoun' to show the case: chłopak, co go widziałem (the boy that I saw him) instead of the formal chłopak, którego widziałem.

Examples (6)

  1. To jest chłopak, który mieszka w Krakowie.

    This is the boy who lives in Krakow.

    Word by Word: This is boy, who lives in Krakow.

    'Który' is masculine singular (matching 'chłopak') and nominative because it is the subject of the verb 'mieszka'.

  2. To jest pies, którego widziałem wczoraj.

    This is the dog that I saw yesterday.

    Word by Word: This is dog, which I-saw yesterday.

    'Którego' is masculine singular and accusative because it is the direct object of 'widziałem'.

  3. To jest kobieta, z którą pracuję.

    This is the woman with whom I work.

    Word by Word: This is woman, with whom I-work.

    'Którą' is feminine singular and instrumental because it follows the preposition 'z'.

  4. Wszystko, co wiem, jest tutaj.

    Everything that I know is here.

    Word by Word: Everything, what I-know, is here.

    When the antecedent is an indefinite pronoun like 'wszystko', you must use 'co' instead of 'który'.

  5. On spóźnił się, co mnie zdenerwowało.

    He was late, which annoyed me.

    Word by Word: He late-self, what me annoyed.

    When the relative clause refers to the entire preceding sentence rather than a single noun, 'co' is used.

  6. To jest ten chłopak, co go widziałeś.

    This is that boy that you saw (him).

    Word by Word: This is that boy, what him you-saw.

    In informal speech, co is used with a resumptive pronoun ('go') to indicate the case.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the relative pronoun.

    Książka, czytałem, była nudna.
    Książka, którą czytałem, była nudna.

    In English, you can often drop 'that' or 'which' (e.g., 'The book I read'). In Polish, the relative pronoun is mandatory and can never be omitted.

  • Placing the comma after a preposition.

    To jest dom w, którym mieszkam.
    To jest dom, w którym mieszkam.

    The comma marks the start of the entire relative clause. If the relative pronoun is preceded by a preposition, the comma must come before that preposition.

  • Forgetting the closing comma in the middle of a sentence.

    Kobieta, którą widziałeś jest moją mamą.
    Kobieta, którą widziałeś, jest moją mamą.

    If a relative clause is embedded in the middle of a sentence, it must be 'fenced off' with commas on both sides.

How It Connects

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który (zdanie względne)Level 3Relative Clauses with Który

Learn This First

Learn Relative Który, Clauses With Że before Relative Clauses With Który.

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