Polish Grammar for Genealogists. Copyright 2013 by Fay Bussgang

Polish Grammar for Genealogists Copyright 2013 by Fay Bussgang

CONCEPTS of POLISH GRAMMAR CASE: indicates function of word in sentence DECLINATION: process of changing the ending of a word according to its case CASE ENDING: depends on case, gender, number, and stem GENDER: masculine, feminine, neuter NUMBER: singular or plural STEM: part of sentence that remains same or changes only slightly when endings are added 2

CASES USEFUL FOR GENEALOGISTS NOMINATIVE: SUBJECT OF SENTENCE GENITIVE: DENOTES OF, POSSESSION (used with z / ze to mean from ) INSTRUMENTAL: WITH OR BY WHOM SOMETHING IS DONE (used with z / ze to mean with ) LOCATIVE: LOCATION OF ACTION (used with preposition w / we meaning in ) 3

SAMPLE DECLENSION Feminine Noun NOMINATIVE: Warszaw/a GENITIVE: Warszaw/y INSTRUMENTAL: Warszaw/ą LOCATIVE: Warszaw/ie STEM = Warszaw/ ENDINGS = a y ą ie 4

GENITIVE CASE: Feminine Town Names usually end in a in the NOMINATIVE; may end in double consonants or ew NOMINATIVE GENITIVE (add y or i ) Warszawa Warszawy Warta Warty Horodenka Horodenki Bydgoszcz Bydgoszczy Łódź Łodzi (slashes dropped) Żółkiew Żółkwi ( ie dropped) 5

GENITIVE CASE: Masculine Town Names end in consonant in NOMINATIVE most form GENITIVE by adding a Foreign cities & a few compound names add u NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Kra'ków Krako'wa (slash dropped) Gdańsk Gdań'ska Włocła'wek Włocław'ka (e dropped) Po'znań Pozna'nia (slash i ) Za'mość Zamo'ścia (slash i ) Lon'dyn Londyn'u Raj'gród Raj/gro'du (compound word) 6

GENITIVE CASE: Neuter Town Names Neuter Town Names end in o, sometimes in e ; add a in GENITIVE NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Chełmno Chełmna Radomsko Radomska Opole Opola 7

GENITIVE CASE: Plural Town Names Plural Town Names end in i, y, and e, drop final vowel in GENITIVE NOMINATIVE Chęci'ny Suwał'ki Katowi'ce GENITIVE Chę'cin (accent changes) Suwa'łek (adds e before k ) Kato'wic (accent changes) 8

ADDING OR SUBTRACTING e / ie Nominative Genitive Feminine Town Name Żółkiew Żółkwi [ ie before final consonant removed before ending] Masculine Town/ Name Włocławek Włocławka [ e before final consonant Herszek Herszka removed before adding Mosiek Mośka masculine ending a ] ( si becomes ś ) Plural Town Name [ i/e cut off, e added Suwałki Suwałek before final consonant] Siedlce Siedlec 9

GENITIVE CASE: SURNAMES NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Masc. Surnames Goldberg Goldberga Nowak Nowaka Fem. Surnames Kwarta Kwarty Spira Spiry Surnames ending Spiro Spiry in o 10

GENITIVE CASE: GIVEN NAMES NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Male names Hersz Hersza Lajbuś Lajbusia (ending in a ) Szlama Szlamy Szaja Szaji/ Szai Female names Laja Laji/ Lai Ester/Estera Estery Ruchel/Ruchla Ruchli 11

GENITIVE CASE: SURNAMES LIKE ADJECTIVES NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Male Kowalski Kowalskiego Sawicki Sawickiego Female Kowalska Kowalskiej Sawicka Sawickiej Couple Kowalscy Kowalskich Sawiccy Sawickich 12

GENITIVE FOR WOMEN S SURNAMES (TO INDICATE IF WOMAN IS MARRIED OR UNMARRIED) NOMINATIVE GENITIVE Mrs. Glasman: Glasmanowa Glasmanowej (adj) Miss Glasman: Glasmanówna Glasmanówny (n) Daughter of Hersz: Sura Herszówna Sury Herszówny (n) (TO INDICATE MAIDEN NAME OF MARRIED WOMAN) Rywka z Bursztajnów Najman (from the Bursztajn family) Ruchel z Kowalskich Nowak (from the Kowalski family) 13

INSTRUMENTAL CASE (z / ze = with) NOMINATIVE INSTRUMENTAL Men: Szmul Kron ze Szmulem Kronem '' (or) ze Szmulem Kron Aron Kowalski z Aronem Kowalskim Women: Ruchla Goldberg z Ruchlą Goldberg Fajga Kowalska z Fajgą Kowalską Sura Moszkówna z Surą Moszkówną 14

LOCATIVE CASE follows w or we, ending based on: GENDER [masculine, feminine, neuter] NUMBER [singular or plural] STEM [hard, soft, or velar (guttural)] Nature of stem depends on sound of last consonant, not of last letter if it is a vowel 15

LOCATIVE CASE HARD STEMS (all genders) Stems b, f, m, n, p, s, w, or z (soften by adding i before e ending) NOMINATIVE Dęba Chełmno Lublin Warszawa Kraków LOCATIVE w Dębie w Chełmnie w Lublinie w Warszawie w Krakowie 16

LOCATIVE CASE HARD STEMS (all genders) Stems d, ł, r, and t (softened before adding e ending) d dzi Rajgród w Rajgrodzie ł l Skała w Skale r rz Góra w Górze t ci Łańcut w Łańcucie 17

LOCATIVE CASE VELAR STEMS Velar stem = final consonant k, g, ch Feminine (soften velar stem before adding e ) NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE ch sz Bierwicha w Bierwisze g dz Struga w Strudze k c Horodenka w Horodence 18

LOCATIVE CASE VELAR STEMS Velar stem = final consonant is k, g, ch Masculine and Neuter (add u to stem) NOMINATIVE Tarnobrzeg Płock Włocławek Radomsko GENITIVE w Tarnobrzegu w Płocku w Włocławku (drop e ) w Radomsku 19

LOCATIVE CASE SOFT STEMS Stems [c, j, l] [ć, ń, ś, ź, ż] [cz, rz, sz] Feminine (add i or y to stem) NOMINATIVE Dębica Bochnia Łódź Bydgoszcz LOCATIVE w Dębicy w Bochni w Łodzi [drop slashes] w Bydgoszczy 20

LOCATIVE CASE SOFT STEMS Stems [c, j, l] [ć, ń, ś, ź, ż] [cz, rz, sz] Masculine and Neuter (add u to stem) NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE Mielec w Mielcu (e dropped) Opole w Opolu Toruń w Toruniu Zgierz w Zgierzu 21

LOCATIVE CASE PLURAL all add ach to stem NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE Brzeziny w Brzezinach Chęciny w Chęcinach Katowice w Katowicach Suwałki w Suwałkach 22

WORKING BACKWARD LOCATIVE NOMINATIVE w Warszawie Warszawa w Lublinie Lublin w Łodzi Łódź w Brzezinach Brzeziny w Warcie?Warc/Warca? w Warce? Warc? 23

WORKING BACKWARD Hard stems: t ci Velar stem (if feminine): k c LOCATIVE NOMINATIVE w War/ci/e War/t + a Warta w War/c/e War/k + a Warka przy mat/c/e mat/k + a matka (mother) [przy = near/with] Irregular masculine soft stem: przy ojc/u ojciec (father) 24

MULTIPLE TRANSFORMATIONS t ci a e s ś NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE (town/city) miasto w mieście ALTERNATION of a to e / ą to ę Soften consonant preceding softened consonant NOMINATIVE LOCATIVE a e z ź Ujazd w Ujeździe ą ę Dąb w Dębie 25

ADJECTIVES USED IN TOWN NAMES NOMINATIVE GENITIVE LOCATIVE Common Modifier of Town Names [new]: Feminine Nowa Nowej Nowej Masculine Nowy Nowego Nowym Neuter Nowe Nowego Nowym Plural Nowe Nowych Nowych Region where town is located (Mazowie). Follows town name: Feminine Mazowiecka Mazowieckiej Mazowieckiej Masculine Mazowiecki Mazowieckiego Mazowieckim Neuter Mazowieckie Mazowieckiego Mazowieckim Plural Mazowieckie Mazowieckich Mazowieckich 26

ADJECTIVES USED IN TOWN NAMES NOMINATIVE GENITIVE LOCATIVE Compound Name (Adjective + Noun) Feminine Zduńska Wola z Zduńskiej Woli w Zduńskiej Woli Feminine Zielona Góra z Zielonej Góry w Zielonej Górze Masculine Białystok z Białegostoku w Białymstoku Białystok is a compound word Biały (white) stok (hill) Rarities: Town Names declinated like adjectives: Feminine Dobra (good) z Dobrej w Dobrej Masculine Głuchy (silent) z Głuchego w Głuchym 27