Difficult feminine nouns (krwi, myszy, nadziei)

The -ja and -ia Nouns

Feminines in -ja and -ia form their Genitive (and Dative/Locative) in -i or -ii:

NominativeGenitiverule
nadziejanadziei-ja after a vowel → -i
alejaaleisame
AngliaAngliiforeign -ia → -ii
historiahistoriisame
There is no hope left.
Nie ma już nadziei.

Mysz: a Feminine Without -a

Mysz ends in a consonant but is feminine, like noc and twarz from lesson 300: Genitive myszy, plural myszy.

I am afraid of mice.
Boję się myszy.

Krew: the Stem Shrinks

Krew loses its -e- everywhere outside the Nominative: Genitive krwi, Instrumental krwią — the same fleeting-e you know from styczeń → stycznia, on a feminine noun.

There was blood on the floor.
Na podłodze była krew.

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