Genitive of negation

The Genitive of Negation

In Polish, if a sentence is positive, the direct object usually takes the Accusative case. However, as soon as you make that verb negative by adding nie (not), the direct object changes to the Genitive case.

This is one of the most important rules in Polish grammar: Negated objects always take the Genitive case.

Let's see how this affects nouns when talking about media and entertainment.

Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -y (or -i after certain letters like k or j) in the Genitive case.

  • telewizja (television) becomes telewizji
  • muzyka (music) becomes muzyki
  • gra (game) becomes gry
My sister does not watch television.
Moja siostra nie ogląda telewizji.
I do not like music.
Nie lubię muzyki.
We are not buying a game.
Nie kupujemy gry.

Masculine Nouns

For masculine inanimate nouns, the Genitive ending is usually either -u or -a. There is no strict rule for which ending a non-living object takes, so it is best to learn them as you meet new words.

For example, telewizor (TV set) takes an -a:

The young student does not have a TV.
Młody student nie ma telewizora.

However, many other media words take an -u, such as serial (TV series), program (program), artykuł (article), and internet (internet).

The small child is not watching a TV series.
Małe dziecko nie ogląda serialu.
I do not understand the program.
Nie rozumiem programu.
I am not reading the article.
Nie czytam artykułu.
We do not have internet in the cafe.
Nie mamy internetu w kawiarni.

Neuter Nouns

Neuter nouns ending in -o change to -a in the Genitive case.

  • czasopismo (magazine) becomes czasopisma
  • radio (radio) becomes radia
My mother does not buy the magazine.
Moja matka nie kupuje czasopisma.
They are not buying a radio.
Oni nie kupują radia.
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