Verbs: Present Tense

01

Conjugation Groups

Regular verbs generally fall into three main conjugation patterns, categorized by the endings used in the first person singular (I) and second person singular (you).

Conjugation I: The -m / -sz Pattern

This group mostly contains verbs ending in -ać in the infinitive. The stem usually retains the vowel -a-.

Endings: -m, -sz, -a, -my, -cie, -ją.

• Mieszkam w Krakowie.

  I live in Krakow.

• Czytasz książkę.

  You are reading a book.

• Oni rzadko sprzątają.

  They rarely clean.

Conjugation II: The -ę / -isz (or -ysz) Pattern

This group typically includes verbs ending in -ić, -yć, or -eć.

Endings: -ę, -isz/-ysz, -i/-y, -imy/-ymy, -icie/-ycie, -ą.

Note: You use -isz after soft consonants and -ysz after hard consonants.

• Lubię kawę.

  I like coffee.

• Mówisz po polsku?

  Do you speak Polish?

• Ona myśli o tobie.

  She is thinking about you.

Conjugation III: The -ę / -esz Pattern

This group is very common and includes verbs ending in -ować (which change their stem to -uj-) and many verbs ending in consonants or -ać that involve stem changes.

Endings: -ę, -esz, -e, -emy, -ecie, -ą.

• Kupuję chleb.

  I am buying bread.

• Piszemy list.

  We are writing a letter.

• Co tam robicie?

  What are you doing there?

02

Stem Changes

In Polish, the "stem" of the verb (the part before the ending) often changes between the infinitive and the conjugated forms.

The -ować suffix

Verbs ending in -ować replace this suffix with -uj- before adding Conjugation III endings.

• Pracować (to work) → Pracuję.

  I work.

• Dziękować (to thank) → Dziękujemy.

  We thank.

Consonant Changes

Many verbs undergo consonant shifts. For example, pisać (to write) changes s to sz in the present tense.

• Ja piszę, ty piszesz.

  I write, you write.

Vowel Changes

Some verbs change the vowel inside the stem. A common shift is o to ó, or vice versa.

• Brać (to take) → Biorę.

  I take.

03

Important Irregular Verbs

Some of the most frequently used verbs do not follow standard patterns and must be memorized.

Być (to be)

• ja jestem (I am)
• ty jesteś (you are)
• on/ona/ono jest (he/she/it is)
• my jesteśmy (we are)
• wy jesteście (you all are)
• oni/one są (they are)

Jeść (to eat)

• jem, jesz, je, jemy, jecie, jedzą

• Jem śniadanie.

  I am eating breakfast.

Wiedzieć (to know facts)

• wiem, wiesz, wie, wiemy, wiecie, wiedzą

• Nie wiem.

  I don't know.

04

Formal Address (Pan/Pani)

When speaking formally to someone you do not know well or a superior, you do not use the second person (ty). Instead, you use the noun Pan (for a man) or Pani (for a woman) combined with the third-person singular verb form (the he/she form).

• Czy Pan mówi po angielsku?

  Do you speak English? (to a man)

• Co Pani robi?

  What are you doing? (to a woman)

05

Aspect: Present vs. Future

Polish verbs have an aspect: they are either Imperfective (focusing on the process) or Perfective (focusing on the completion).

To describe an action happening now, you must use Imperfective verbs.

If you conjugate a Perfective verb using the endings listed above, the meaning changes to the Future tense.

• Czytam książkę.

  I am reading a book. (Imperfective = Present)

• Przeczytam książkę.

  I will read the book. (Perfective = Future)