A2 · Adjectives and adverbs · about 7 minutes
Adverbs: dobrze, szybko, ładnie
adverbs from adjectives
How something happens is said not by the adjective but by a form in -o or -e — the Polish “-ly”.
Do you know this already?
“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need8
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- dalekofar, a long way
- gragame
- ciepłowarm
- smacznytasty, delicious
- taniocheaply
- złybad; angry
- śpiewaćto sing
- czućto feel; to smell
Understand
RememberA noun takes the adjective, a verb takes the adverb.
- Signal words
- jak?
- bardzo
- jest
- po
The form
From the base form to the new form
Each row first says what the form expresses, then shows it in Polish: the base form before the arrow, the result after it.
| -o: most of them | szybki — szybko, cichy — cicho, łatwy — łatwo, tani — tanio |
| -ie: often after -ny | ładny — ładnie, spokojny — spokojnie, smaczny — smacznie |
| -e with a sound change | dobry — dobrze, mądry — mądrze, zły — źle |
| languages: po + -sku, -cku | polski — po polsku, niemiecki — po niemiecku |
| “it is …”: jest + adverb | zimny — Jest zimno. ładny — Tu jest ładnie. |
| compared: -ej | szybko — szybciej, dobrze — lepiej, źle — gorzej |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The adverb describes how something happens and is never declined.
Ania mówi szybko.Ania speaks quickly.
Most adverbs end in -o.
Mieszkamy daleko od centrum.We live far from the centre.
Many end in -ie or -e, often with a sound change.
Piotr dobrze gra w tenisa.Piotr plays tennis well.
Languages take po with -sku or -cku.
Rozumiesz po polsku?Do you understand Polish?
For “it is …” use jest with the adverb, without “it”.
Dzisiaj jest ciepło.It is warm today.
Example sentences
Pociąg jedzie wolno.The train is going slowly.
W tej restauracji można zjeść smacznie i tanio.In this restaurant you can eat well and cheaply.
Dziś w nocy źle spałem.I slept badly last night. (a man speaking)
6 more example sentences
W lipcu jest gorąco.It is hot in July.
Kasia mówi po niemiecku i po angielsku.Kasia speaks German and English.
Mów wolniej, proszę.Please speak more slowly.
Dzieci bawią się spokojnie w pokoju.The children are playing quietly in the room.
Tu jest bardzo ładnie.It is very nice here.
Marek często jeździ do Gdańska.Marek often goes to Gdańsk.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
In casual English “you speak good” slips out, and the same slip happens in Polish: the adjective takes the adverb’s place. If the word describes how somebody does something, you need the adverb: dobrze, not dobry — “well”, not “good”.
Quick check
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Practise
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Next on the path: 68 · When and if: kiedy, gdy, jeśli, jeżeliBack to the learning path
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
English separates “quick” and “quickly”, “good” and “well”, and so does Polish. The adjective describes a noun (szybki samochód “a fast car”), the adverb describes how something happens (jedzie szybko “it goes fast”). The adverb is never declined.
Most adverbs end in -o: szybki → szybko, cichy → cicho, łatwy → łatwo, daleki → daleko, tani → tanio. Many others end in -ie or -e, often with a sound change: ładny → ładnie, spokojny → spokojnie, dobry → dobrze. Which one it is, learn with the word; the commonest ones are soon collected. Quite its own is zły → źle “badly”.
Two uses are unlike English. Languages take po with a form in -u: po polsku“in Polish”po angielsku“in English” And where English says “it is cold”, Polish uses the adverb, with no word for “it”: Jest zimno, Tu jest ładnie “it is nice here”.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
“Smells good” is an adverb in Polish
English uses an adjective after “smell”, “taste”, “look” and “feel”: “the soup smells good”. Polish uses the adverb, because it describes the smelling: Zupa dobrze pachnie. Only after być does the adjective stay: Zupa jest dobra.
Zupa jest dobra i dobrze pachnie.The soup is good and smells good.
Worth knowing
Sentences without a subject: jest zimno, było miło
Weather and mood are described with the adverb and no subject: Jest zimno, Było miło, Będzie ciepło. With mi, ci or mu you say who feels it: Jest mi smutno “I feel sad”.
Było bardzo miło, dziękuję!It was really nice, thank you!
The verbs on this page, in every form: być · mówić · mieszkać · jechać · spać · zjeść · rozumieć