To express preferences in Polish, we use the verb woleć (to prefer).
Conjugating woleć
The verb woleć conjugates like this:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|
| I / We | wolę | wolimy |
| You | wolisz | wolicie |
| He/She/It / They | woli | wolą |
Woleć + Accusative Noun
When you prefer a specific thing, woleć is followed directly by a noun in the Accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -ę, and their matching adjectives end in -ą.
Masculine inanimate nouns (like obiad or produkt) look identical to their dictionary forms in the Accusative.
Woleć + Infinitive Verb
When you prefer to do something, pair the conjugated form of woleć with a second verb in its infinitive (dictionary) form.
Allergies and Restrictions
To say you are allergic to something, use alergia na followed by the Accusative case.
You can seamlessly combine this vocabulary with woleć and an infinitive.
Nutrition: Protein, Fat, and Dairy
Key terms for discussing diets include białko (protein), tłuszcz (fat), and nabiał (dairy). Because białko is neuter, and tłuszcz and nabiał are inanimate masculine nouns, their Accusative forms match their dictionary forms.
To say someone prefers not to do something, place nie directly before the infinitive. Remember that negated verbs require the Genitive case instead of the Accusative (e.g., adding -u to tłuszcz and nabiał).