Half and one and a half (pół, półtora)

Half

To say "half", use pół followed by the Genitive singular case (literally "half of a [noun]"). The word pół never changes, regardless of the noun's gender.

I'll drink half a litre of water because I'm thirsty.
Wypiję pół litra wody, bo jestem spragniony.
Half a kilo of meat, please.
Proszę pół kilograma mięsa.

One and a Half

For "one and a half", the noun still takes the Genitive singular, but the word for the fraction changes based on the noun's gender:

  • półtora: masculine and neuter nouns
  • półtorej: feminine nouns

Półtora (Masculine and Neuter)

Masculine and neuter words like litr (litre), kilogram (kilo), and rok (year) pair with półtora.

We drink a litre and a half of juice every day.
Codziennie pijemy półtora litra soku.
I've been working in this company for a year and a half already.
Pracuję w tej firmie już półtora roku.

Półtorej (Feminine)

Feminine nouns like szklanka (glass), filiżanka (cup), and godzina (hour) pair with półtorej.

You need a glass and a half of flour to bake a cake.
Żeby upiec ciasto, potrzebujesz półtorej szklanki mąki.
We'll wait at the station for an hour and a half.
Będziemy czekać na dworcu półtorej godziny.
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