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Overview of Numerals in Polish

In Polish, numerals agree in gender, case, and sometimes in number with the nouns they modify. They also change form depending on the case (like adjectives) and sometimes trigger specific grammatical cases for the nouns they describe.

Types of Numerals

1. Cardinal Numerals (Liczebniki główne) Cardinal numerals are used to express quantity, such as "one", "two", or "three". They answer the question "how many?" (ile?).

   Examples:

   • jeden (1) – one
   • dwa (2) – two
   • trzy (3) – three
   • cztery (4) – four

   Cardinal numerals in Polish are highly irregular and require attention to grammatical gender and case.

   Gender Variations for Numbers 1–4:

   • 1: jeden (masculine), jedna (feminine), jedno (neuter)
   • 2: dwa (masculine and neuter), dwie (feminine)
   • 3 and 4: trzy, cztery (same for all genders)

   For numbers higher than four, the form is generally the same regardless of the noun’s gender, but the case inflection changes.

2. Ordinal Numerals (Liczebniki porządkowe) Ordinal numerals are used to express order or rank, such as "first", "second", or "third".

   Examples:

   • pierwszy (1st)
   • drugi (2nd)
   • trzeci (3rd)
   • czwarty (4th)

   Like adjectives, ordinal numerals agree in gender, case, and number with the nouns they describe.

3. Fractional Numerals (Liczebniki ułamkowe) Fractional numerals are used to describe parts of a whole, such as "half", "third", or "fourth".

   Examples:

   • połowa (1/2) – half
   • jedna trzecia (1/3) – one third
   • jedna czwarta (1/4) – one fourth

4. Collective Numerals (Liczebniki zbiorowe) Collective numerals are used with groups of people or things that do not easily fit into the singular/plural dichotomy, such as "two children", "three people", or mixed-gender groups.

   Examples:

   • dwoje (2)
   • troje (3)
   • czworo (4)

   These numerals are used with nouns that are plural but refer to singular entities (e.g., dzieci – children, drzwi – doors).

5. Multiplicative Numerals (Liczebniki wielokrotne) Multiplicative numerals indicate how many times something occurs or is multiplied.

   Examples:

   • podwójny (double)
   • potrójny (triple)
   • poczwórny (quadruple)

Declension of Numerals

Numerals in Polish undergo case declension depending on their role in the sentence (subject, object, etc.). Here’s how some basic numerals change in the Nominative (used for the subject) and Accusative (used for direct objects) cases:

Special Notes

1. Numerals with Plural Nouns: For nouns in plural, numerals from 5 onward trigger the genitive plural form of the noun they describe.

   • Example: pięć książek (five books) – "książek" is in the genitive plural.

2. Numbers 1-4 with Singular Nouns: For the numbers 1 through 4, the noun typically remains in the nominative singular.

   • Example: trzy samochody (three cars) – "samochody" is in the nominative plural.

3. Higher Numbers: After numbers greater than 4, nouns go into the genitive plural.

   • Example: dziesięć jabłek (ten apples).

4. Compound Numbers: In compound numbers, each part of the number declines independently.

   • Example: dwadzieścia trzy książki (twenty-three books) – both "dwadzieścia" (20) and "trzy" (3) modify the noun.