Polish Pronouns & the Verb Być (To Be)
Two pieces unlock your first hundred Polish sentences: the personal pronouns (I, you, he, she…) and the verb być (to be). Learn them together — they explain each other.
The Personal Pronouns
Two things to notice:
- Polish has two words for "they". Oni for any group that includes at least one man; one for groups of women, children, animals, or things. This split runs through all of Polish grammar — you'll meet it again in plurals.
- There's no separate formal "you" pronoun. Where Russian uses вы and French uses vous, Polish uses the nouns pan/pani — see below.
Być: Jestem, Jesteś, Jest
Unlike Russian (which skips "to be" in the present — я студент), Polish always says it. Być is the most common verb in the language and, helpfully, the most irregular one you'll ever need:
Negation is delightfully simple: put nie in front. Nie jestem głodna — I'm not hungry. To nie jest problem — that's not a problem.
Jestem Ola. Jestem z Krakowa i jestem głodna.
I'm Ola. I'm from Kraków and I'm hungry.
Note: Three jestem's, zero ja's — see the next section for why.
Spotted jestem studentem instead of student? After być, professions and identities take the instrumental case — the full story is in the instrumental case lesson.
Why Polish Drops Its Pronouns
Here is the habit that makes textbook learners sound foreign: they say ja too much. Because every form of być is different (jestem, jesteś, jest…), the verb already tells you who — so Polish normally skips the pronoun:
Keep the pronoun only for contrast or emphasis: Ja jestem z Krakowa, a ty? — I'm from Kraków, and you? (Third-person on/ona stays more often, since jest alone doesn't say who.)
Pan & Pani: The Formal You
To address a stranger, a shop assistant, or anyone older, Polish uses pan (to a man) or pani (to a woman) with the third-person verb form — grammatically like saying "Is sir from Warsaw?":
Plural: panowie (gentlemen), panie (ladies), państwo (mixed group — also "Mr and Mrs"). Default to pan/pani with anyone you'd call "sir/madam" in a shop; Poles will offer "przejdźmy na ty" ("let's switch to ty") when it's time to relax.
💬 At the reception desk
Sentence Patterns with Być
Three patterns with być cover an astonishing amount of daily life:
1. To jest… (This is…) — introducing anything and anyone:
To jest mój kolega Michał, a to jest moja kawa.
This is my friend Michał, and this is my coffee.
Note: In speech, 'jest' often drops: To mój kolega. Both are correct.
2. Jestem + place (I am somewhere):
Jestem w pracy. Jesteśmy na rynku.
I'm at work. We're at the market square.
Note: w + building/city, na + open space or event — the same pair you'll meet throughout Polish.
3. Jestem + description (I am something):
Jestem zmęczona, ale jestem szczęśliwa.
I'm tired, but I'm happy. (a woman speaking)
Note: Adjectives agree with your gender: a man says zmęczony, a woman zmęczona — see the noun gender lesson.
That gender agreement is your next stop: Polish noun gender. Then bring być to life with every other verb in the present tense.