Questions & Answers about Dziękuję za miły gest.
Dziękuję is the first-person singular present tense of the infinitive dziękować (“to thank”). To form it:
- Remove the infinitive ending -ać from dziękować, leaving the stem dziękow-
- Add the personal ending -ę (for “I”), yielding dziękuję
So dziękuję literally means “I thank” and is used in Polish as “thank you.”
Because gest is an inanimate masculine noun. In Polish grammar:
- Animate masculine nouns change in the accusative (e.g. pies → psa)
- Inanimate masculine nouns keep the nominative form in the accusative
Therefore the adjective stays as masculine nominative/accusative singular: miły gest.
IPA transcription: /d͡ʑɛŋˈkujɛ za ˈmiwɨ ɡɛst/
- dziękuję = [d͡ʑɛŋˈkujɛ] (stress on -ku-)
- za = [za] (unstressed)
- miły = [ˈmiwɨ] (stress on mi-)
- gest = [ɡɛst]
Approximate English-style: “jen-KOO-yeh zah MEE-vih gest.” Polish words are almost always stressed on the penultimate syllable.
- Dziękuję: Neutral to formal “thank you,” suitable for polite or official contexts.
- Dzięki: Informal/colloquial “thanks,” used among friends or in casual speech.
Example:
• Dziękuję za miły gest. (standard)
• Dzięki za miły gest. (casual)
You can make it explicit by adding the dative pronoun ci (to you):
“Dziękuję ci za miły gest.”
Here ci follows the verb and makes it clear you’re thanking “you” in particular.
Yes. Polish has flexible word order. For example:
• Neutral: Dziękuję za miły gest.
• Emphasize the gesture: Za miły gest dziękuję.
Moving za miły gest to the front highlights what you’re thankful for.
Common alternatives:
- uprzejmość (“kindness,” “courtesy”) – a broader, abstract quality rather than a single act.
- życzliwość (“kindness,” “goodwill”) – even more general warmth or benevolence.
Gest focuses on a specific action (e.g. a thoughtful deed or symbolic gesture).
Add intensifiers or titles, for example:
- Serdecznie dziękuję za miły gest. (“I sincerely thank you for the nice gesture.”)
- Panu/Pani serdecznie dziękuję za miły gest. (using Panu for “sir” or Pani for “ma’am” to show respect)