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Intermediate

The Genitive Case

Possession, negation and 'of'

The genitive shows possession ('of')

Also 'X's Y'.

📊 Genitive uses
Use Example
possession dom ojca
negation of object nie mam czasu
after do, od, bez, dla do domu
quantities dużo wody
5+ counting pięć kotów
💬 Examples
samochód brata
(my) brother's car
📝 brat → brata (genitive)
kolor nieba
the colour of the sky
📝 niebo → nieba
Negated objects take the genitive

After 'nie', the object switches to the genitive.

💬 Examples
Mam czas.
I have time.
📝 Accusative (czas)
Nie mam czasu.
I don't have time.
📝 Negation → genitive (czasu)
Many prepositions take the genitive

do (to), od (from), bez (without), dla (for).

💬 Examples
do sklepu
to the shop
📝 do + genitive (sklep → sklepu)
bez cukru
without sugar
📝 bez + genitive