Lubić is how you talk about what you like — coffee, jazz, your job, reading on Sunday mornings. It is one of the first verbs a learner needs, because liking and disliking come up in nearly every conversation. This page covers lubić (imperfective) and its perfective partner polubić ("come to like, take a liking to"). Two things deserve real attention. First, the conjugation: lubię, lubisz, lubi… belongs to the -ę / -isz class, which means the 1sg ends in -ę and the 3pl in -ą — a pattern English speakers regularly flatten into a wrong lubę / lubi*ą*. Second, and more important, lubić is not the only Polish "like." Polish splits English like into lubić (stable preference, + accusative: lubię kawę) and podobać się (it appeals to me, a reaction, + dative: podoba mi się ta sukienka). Choosing the wrong one is one of the most common errors at A1–A2.
Present tense (imperfective lubić)
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ja | lubię | I like |
| ty | lubisz | you like |
| on / ona / ono | lubi | he / she / it likes |
| my | lubimy | we like |
| wy | lubicie | you (pl.) like |
| oni / one | lubią | they like |
This is a textbook member of the -ę / -isz class (like robić → robię, robisz and mówić → mówię, mówisz). The stem is lubi- throughout, with no consonant mutation — a gift, because many verbs in this class do change their stem in the 1sg (prosić → proszę). The two endings to nail are the 1sg -ę (lubię, nasal, not lubę) and the 3pl -ą (lubią, not lubiją or lubieją).
Lubię kawę bez cukru, ale z mlekiem.
I like coffee without sugar, but with milk.
Nie lubisz poniedziałków? Nikt nie lubi.
You don't like Mondays? Nobody does.
Moi rodzice bardzo lubią twoją dziewczynę.
My parents really like your girlfriend. (3pl → lubią)
Past tense (lubić)
| Subject | Past form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ja (m. / f.) | lubiłem / lubiłam | I liked |
| ty (m. / f.) | lubiłeś / lubiłaś | you liked |
| on / ona / ono | lubił / lubiła / lubiło | he / she / it liked |
| my (vir. / non-vir.) | lubiliśmy / lubiłyśmy | we liked |
| wy (vir. / non-vir.) | lubiliście / lubiłyście | you (pl.) liked |
| oni / one | lubili / lubiły | they liked |
The past stem is lubi-, regular. Note the virile/non-virile split: lubili for men/mixed groups, lubiły for women/things. Because liking is usually an ongoing state, the imperfective past is what you normally want: Zawsze lubiłem jazz "I always liked jazz."
Jako dziecko nie lubiłam szpinaku, a teraz uwielbiam.
As a child I didn't like spinach, and now I love it. (woman speaking)
Wszyscy go lubili, bo był uczciwy.
Everyone liked him, because he was honest. (men/mixed → lubili)
Future and imperative (lubić)
Lubić is imperfective, so the future is the compound będę lubił / lubiła. In practice, though, the future of lubić is rare — you usually express coming to like something with the perfective polubić instead (see below). The compound future appears mainly in hypotheticals:
Nie wiem, czy będę lubiła nową pracę.
I don't know whether I'll like the new job. (woman speaking)
The imperative lub! is essentially unused — you can't command a feeling. (Polish does say Polub to "Like it" for tapping a social-media "like," using the perfective.)
The perfective partner: polubić
Polubić is the prefixed perfective (po- + lubić). It is inceptive — it names the moment or onset of starting to like something: "come to like, grow to like, take a liking to." Because it is perfective, its present-shaped forms are the simple future:
| Person | polubić — future | English |
|---|---|---|
| ja | polubię | I'll come to like |
| ty | polubisz | you'll come to like |
| on / ona / ono | polubi | he / she / it will come to like |
| my | polubimy | we'll come to like |
| wy | polubicie | you (pl.) will come to like |
| oni / one | polubią | they'll come to like |
| Form | polubić | English |
|---|---|---|
| past (m./f. 1sg) | polubiłem / polubiłam | I came to like |
| past (vir./non-vir. 3pl) | polubili / polubiły | they came to like |
| imperative (sg) | polub! | (grow to) like it! / "like" (online) |
Na początku narzekała, ale szybko polubiła to miasto.
At first she complained, but she quickly came to like the city.
Myślę, że polubisz moich znajomych.
I think you'll come to like my friends.
The contemporary adverbial of the imperfective is lubiąc ("liking"), though it is uncommon in everyday speech.
Government: lubić + accusative, or + infinitive
Lubić combines in two ways:
1. With a noun in the accusative — the thing liked:
Lubię polską muzykę, zwłaszcza disco polo… żartuję.
I like Polish music, especially disco polo… I'm joking.
2. With an infinitive — the activity liked ("like doing"):
Lubię czytać przed snem.
I like reading before bed.
Nie lubię wstawać wcześnie rano.
I don't like getting up early in the morning.
Note that Polish, unlike English, puts no "to" before the infinitive (lubię czytać = "I like to read / reading"), and there is no -ing gerund — the bare infinitive does both jobs. See the accusative direct object.
lubić vs podobać się: the split English speakers miss
Here is the heart of the matter. English like covers two distinct ideas that Polish keeps apart:
| Verb | Means | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| lubić | like in general (a stable preference) | I (nom.) + lubić + thing (accusative) | Lubię tę piosenkę. (I like this song — in general) |
| podobać się | find appealing (a reaction, esp. first impression / looks) | thing (nom.) + podobać się + to-me (dative) | Podoba mi się ta piosenka. (I like this song — it appeals to me) |
The grammar is mirror-image. With lubić, you are the subject and the thing is the object: lubię ją "I like her." With podobać się, the thing is the subject and you are a dative experiencer: podoba mi się "it appeals to me" (literally "it pleases to-me"). Use lubić for settled tastes and people you get along with; use podobać się for first impressions and physical/aesthetic appeal.
Lubię tę sukienkę — często ją noszę.
I like this dress — I wear it often. (a stable preference → lubić)
Podoba mi się ta sukienka, kupię ją.
I like this dress (it appeals to me, on sight), I'll buy it. (a reaction → podobać się)
Intensity: lubić → uwielbiać → kochać
Polish grades affection. Lubić "like" sits below uwielbiać "adore, love (things/activities)" and kochać "love (deeply, esp. people)." For food, films, and hobbies, uwielbiam is the natural "I love it"; kocham is reserved mostly for people and a few heartfelt cases.
Lubię herbatę, ale kawę wprost uwielbiam.
I like tea, but coffee I absolutely adore.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ja lubę kawę.
Incorrect — the 1sg is lubię, with the nasal -ę, not *lubę.
✅ Lubię kawę.
I like coffee.
❌ Lubię się ta sukienka.
Incorrect — 'lubić' has no się and takes you as subject + thing as accusative; for a 'it appeals to me' reaction use podobać się.
✅ Podoba mi się ta sukienka.
I like this dress (it appeals to me).
❌ Lubię do czytać.
Incorrect — Polish takes a bare infinitive, with no 'do' or 'to' before it.
✅ Lubię czytać.
I like reading.
❌ Oni lubią się grać w piłkę.
Incorrect — 'like doing' is lubić + bare infinitive; no się, no 'do'.
✅ Oni lubią grać w piłkę.
They like playing football.
❌ Dziewczyny lubili tę piosenkę. — about a group of women
Incorrect — a group of only women takes non-virile lubiły, not lubili.
✅ Dziewczyny lubiły tę piosenkę.
The girls liked this song.
Key Takeaways
- Present: lubię, lubisz, lubi, lubimy, lubicie, lubią — the -ę/-isz class, no stem change; lock the 1sg lubię (nasal) and 3pl lubią.
- Past: lubił / lubiła, virile lubili vs non-virile lubiły; future usually via perfective polubić (polubię…).
- Lubić takes the accusative (lubię kawę) or a bare infinitive (lubię czytać — no "to").
- English like splits: lubić (stable preference, you = subject, + accusative) vs podobać się (it appeals to me, thing = subject, + dative).
- Grade up with uwielbiać ("adore," for things/activities) and kochać ("love," for people).
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Start learning Polish→Related Topics
- lubić vs podobać się vs kochać: Liking and LovingB1 — Three Polish verbs for liking and loving — stable taste (lubić), immediate appeal with an inverted dative subject (podobać się), and love (kochać).
- podobać się — to like, appeal toA2 — Full conjugation of podobać się / spodobać się, the verb that inverts English: the thing you like is the nominative subject, you are the dative experiencer, and the verb agrees with the liked thing.
- Present Tense: -ę/-isz Verbs (Class II)A1 — The -ę/-isz/-ysz present class (robię, mówię, lubię) — its nasal-vowel 1sg and 3pl, and the consonant softening that makes the 'I' form look different (prosić → proszę).
- Accusative: The Direct ObjectA1 — The accusative's core job — marking the direct object of a transitive verb — and how that case-marking frees Polish word order in ways English can't.
- Talking About Likes and HobbiesA2 — How to talk about likes and hobbies in Polish — lubić + accusative / + infinitive, interesować się + instrumental, the grać w (game, + accusative) vs grać na (instrument, + locative) split, wolę ('I prefer'), and w wolnym czasie ('in my free time').