Solid Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives combine two concepts into a single descriptive word, which is highly useful for outlining business plans and projects. Like all adjectives, they decline to match the noun they modify in gender, number, and case.
When the first part of the compound modifies or describes the second part, the adjective is written as one solid word. They are typically formed in two ways:
- Using prefixes such as między- (inter-), wielo- (multi-), or dwu- (bi-/two-).
- Joining a descriptive adjective and a noun using the linking vowel -o- (e.g., długi
- termin = długoterminowy, wysoki
- budżet = wysokobudżetowy).
- termin = długoterminowy, wysoki
| The director manages an international team. | Dyrektorka kieruje międzynarodowym zespołem. |
| A multicultural team works much better. | Wielokulturowy zespół pracuje znacznie lepiej. |
| We are preparing long-term cooperation. | Przygotowujemy długoterminową współpracę. |
| We invested in a high-budget film. | Zainwestowaliśmy w wysokobudżetowy film. |
Hyphenated Compound Adjectives
When a compound adjective is formed from two independent words of equal importance—such as a partnership between two nations or languages—it is written with a hyphen.
In these hyphenated forms, the first part of the compound always takes the linking vowel -o and remains completely frozen. When applying cases, only the second part of the word declines to match the noun.
| Today we are signing a Polish-English contract. | Dzisiaj podpisujemy polsko-angielską umowę. |
| I need a Polish-English dictionary. | Potrzebuję polsko-angielskiego słownika. |