Declining foreign nouns

Declining Foreign Nouns

Polish constantly adopts loanwords for pop culture and technology. Once these words enter Polish, they are declined like native nouns.

For most masculine foreign nouns ending in a pronounced consonant, simply attach standard Polish case endings directly to the word. In the genitive or accusative, you will frequently see the endings -a (often used for brands, awards, people, and living things) or -u (often used for abstract concepts and media forms).

I did not watch this thriller that got the Oscar until yesterday.
Dopiero wczoraj obejrzałem ten thriller, który dostał Oscara.
My grandfather does not use Facebook.
Mój dziadek nie używa Facebooka.
The end of this thriller is excellent.
Koniec tego thrillera jest świetny.
I always listen to this podcast in the morning.
Zawsze słucham tego podcastu rano.

The Apostrophe Rule

Many English loanwords end in a silent vowel (like the unpronounced "e" in YouTube, Google, or remake). When adding a Polish suffix to a word that ends in a silent letter, insert an apostrophe between the foreign word and the Polish ending.

This orthographic rule keeps the original spelling intact while marking the case.

I do not have YouTube on my phone.
Nie mam YouTube'a w telefonie.
This influencer uses Google every day.
Ten influencer codziennie używa Google'a.
I do not like this new remake.
Nie lubię tego nowego remake'u.

Bringing It Together

Whether a loanword takes an apostrophe depends on its original pronunciation. Facebook (ending in a pronounced consonant) takes a direct ending, while YouTube (ending in a silent vowel) requires an apostrophe.

Please turn on either YouTube or Facebook.
Proszę włączyć albo YouTube'a, albo Facebooka.

When combining these in speech, apply the rule that fits each word's phonetics. In this sentence, design takes no ending as a nominative subject, while Google takes the genitive apostrophe form:

I do not like the new design of Google.
Nie podoba mi się nowy design Google'a.