Exactly the same: taki sam jak
To express that two things are exactly alike, Polish uses the phrase taki sam ... jak (exactly the same ... as). While taki (such) and jak (as/like) can be used alone to show similarity, adding the pronoun sam makes the comparison exact.
Both taki and sam act like adjectives. They must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.
| Gender / Number | Form | Example Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | taki sam | charakter (character) |
| Feminine | taka sama | cecha (trait) |
| Neuter | takie samo | podobieństwo (similarity) |
| Plural (Non-virile) | takie same | geny (genes) |
Masculine traits and twins
When describing a masculine noun—whether it is a person like a twin brother (bliźniak) or an inanimate noun like character (charakter)—use the masculine form taki sam.
| I have a twin (m) who has exactly the same character as me. | Mam bliźniaka, który ma taki sam charakter jak ja. |
You will often see the adjective identyczny (identical) used alongside these comparisons.
| An identical twin (m) has exactly the same nose as his brother. | Identyczny bliźniak ma taki sam nos jak jego brat. |
Feminine traits and twins
For feminine nouns, such as a twin sister (bliźniaczka) or a specific trait (cecha), the phrase changes to taka sama.
| This is my twin (f) and she is exactly the same as me. | To jest moja bliźniaczka i ona jest taka sama jak ja. |
Inheriting plural traits
When talking about genetics, you will often use plural nouns like traits (cechy) or genes (geny). Because these are not male persons, they take the non-virile plural form: takie same.
Let's look at how this pairs with the verb to inherit (dziedziczyć).
| Do you inherit exactly the same traits as your father? | Czy dziedziczysz takie same cechy jak twój ojciec? |
| Two boys have exactly the same genes as their father. | Dwóch chłopców ma takie same geny jak ich ojciec. |
Genetics and similarity
To summarize your observations about twins and inherited traits, you can discuss genetic (genetyczny) similarities. The word for similarity is podobieństwo (a neuter noun).
| Nobody has a doubt that it is a genetic similarity. | Nikt nie ma wątpliwości, że to genetyczne podobieństwo. |
| You can see the similarity because every trait is exactly the same as the mother's. | Widać podobieństwo, bo każda cecha jest taka sama jak u matki. |