A1 · The present tense · about 7 minutes
The a-conjugation: czytam, czytasz
verbs in -am, -asz
The easiest pattern: -am, -asz, -a, -amy, -acie, -ają go onto the stem.
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 need14
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- sąsiadneighbour (man)
- słuchaćto listen (to)
- głośnyloud, noisy
- chwilamoment
- graćto play
- karty(playing) cards
- pytaćto ask (a question)
- niebosky; heaven
- niebieskiblue
- turystatourist (man)
- przewodnikguide; guidebook
- tenistennis
- trochęa little, a bit
- znaćto know (a person, a place)
Understand
Remember-am, -asz, -a, -amy, -acie, -ają — without a single sound change.
- When
- Before the past
- The past
- Past linked to the present
- The present
- The future
- Completed in the future
The present — What holds at the moment, what is under way, or what is always the case.
- Signal words
- -am
- -asz
- -a
- -amy
- -acie
- -ają
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Polish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) person ending
| I read | (ja) czytam |
| you read (one person) | (ty) czytasz |
| he, she, it reads / you read (pan, pani) | (on, ona, ono) czyta |
| we read | (my) czytamy |
| you read (several people) | (wy) czytacie |
| they read / you read (państwo) | (oni, one) czytają |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
For “I” add -am, for “you” -asz.
Czekam na autobus. A ty, na co czekasz?I am waiting for the bus. And you, what are you waiting for?
For “he”, “she” and “it” only -a is left.
Kasia śpiewa w chórze.Kasia sings in a choir.
For “we” it is -amy, for “you” (plural) -acie.
Mieszkamy w Poznaniu. A gdzie wy mieszkacie?We live in Poznań. And where do you live? (to several people)
For “they” add -ają.
Moi sąsiedzi słuchają głośno muzyki.My neighbours listen to music loudly.
mieć works the same way: mam, masz, ma.
Masz chwilę?Have you got a moment?
Example sentences
Znasz Piotra?Do you know Piotr?
Wieczorem gramy w karty.In the evening we play cards.
Dziecko pyta, dlaczego niebo jest niebieskie.The child is asking why the sky is blue.
6 more example sentences
Macie dzieci?Do you have children? (to several people)
Turyści czekają na przewodnika.The tourists are waiting for the guide.
Często pytam o drogę.I often ask the way.
Babcia kocha swoje wnuki.Gran loves her grandchildren.
Czytacie po polsku?Do you read in Polish? (to several people)
Oni nie mają samochodu.They don’t have a car.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English only marks “he/she” with an -s and leaves the plural bare: “my parents live”. In Polish mieszka is only “he”, “she” or “it”. With several people as the subject you need -ają: rodzice mieszkają.
Quick check
A warm-up: 2 questions, answered straight away. They do not count towards your progress.
Practise
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Next on the path: 16 · The accusative: kawę, brata, domBack to the learning path
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The a-conjugation is the most regular pattern. Take the infinitive, drop the -ć and add the endings: czytać → czytam, czytasz, czyta, czytamy, czytacie, czytają. Many everyday verbs go this way: mieszkać(to live)czekać(to wait)pytać(to ask)słuchać(to listen)znać(to know)grać(to play)śpiewać(to sing)kochać(to love)
mieć (to have) takes these endings too, although its infinitive ends in -eć: mam, masz, ma, mamy, macie, mają. And a small group is built almost the same way, only with e: rozumiem, rozumiesz (to understand), umiem, umiesz (to know how to).
But careful: not every verb in -ać belongs here. pisać (piszę), dawać (daję) and brać (biorę) go differently. The form for “I” shows whether a verb belongs to the a-conjugation: if it ends in -am, you are in the right place.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
Two verbs for “know”
English has one “know”; Polish has two, like French. znać follows this pattern and goes with people, places and things: Znam Kasię, Znam to miasto. For knowing a fact you use wiedzieć (wiem), usually with a clause: Wiem, gdzie mieszka.
Znam Marka, ale nie wiem, gdzie mieszka.I know Marek, but I don’t know where he lives.
Worth knowing
słuchać and szukać take the genitive
Some verbs in this group take the genitive instead of the accusative — and the English preposition disappears into it: słuchać muzyki“to listen to music”szukać klucza“to look for the key” pytać takes o with the accusative: pytać o drogę “to ask the way”.
Szukam klucza.I am looking for the key.
The verbs on this page, in every form: czekać · mieć · mieszkać · być · znać · grać · pytać · słuchać