People, family and feelings

What holds these lists together

With people, Polish first shows that it counts men separately. Oni means “they” as soon as one man is in the group, one for everyone else, and the same line runs through the past tense: byli or były. Many words come in pairs with their own feminine form — przyjaciel and przyjaciółka, sąsiad and sąsiadka — and some surnames change too: Mr and Mrs Nowak share one name, but next to Mr Kowalski stands Mrs Kowalska. Feelings are often verbs with się: cieszyć się, to be glad, bać się, to be afraid. The lists run from the family tree through friendship and quarrels to life on the staircase.

For example: osoba (person), radość (joy), sąsiedztwo (neighbourhood, vicinity), znajomy (acquaintance, friend (man)), wstyd (shame, embarrassment)

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.