In the... century
To talk about historical eras, we use the word wiek (century). When saying that something happened "in" a certain century, use the preposition w followed by the Locative case.
The Locative form of wiek is wieku. Ordinal numbers describing the century take the masculine Locative ending -ym:
- dziewiętnasty (nineteenth) -> w dziewiętnastym wieku
- osiemnasty (eighteenth) -> w osiemnastym wieku
Here is how you would use this to talk about historical events, such as those relating to civilization (cywilizacja) or the industrial (przemysłowy) revolution (rewolucja).
| In the nineteenth century, people started to produce industrial machines. | W dziewiętnastym wieku ludzie zaczęli produkować maszyny przemysłowe. |
| The industrial revolution in the eighteenth century changed our civilization. | Rewolucja przemysłowa w osiemnastym wieku zmieniła naszą cywilizację. |
The 20th and 21st Centuries
When a century's ordinal number has two parts (like 21st), both words take the Locative ending: w dwudziestym pierwszym wieku.
Let's apply this to sentences about a new technology (technologia) or an invention (wynalazek) that someone managed to invent (wynaleźć).
| In the twentieth century, no one expected this invention. | W dwudziestym wieku nikt nie spodziewał się tego wynalazku. |
| Who invented this technology in the twenty-first century? | Kto wynalazł tę technologię w dwudziestym pierwszym wieku? |
Historical milestones
Centuries are often defined by a major breakthrough (przełom) or a nation's struggle to regain (odzyskać) its independence (niepodległość).
| Despite the war, Poland regained independence in the twentieth century. | Pomimo wojny Polska odzyskała niepodległość w dwudziestym wieku. |
| This invention was a great breakthrough in the twentieth century. | Ten wynalazek był wielkim przełomem w dwudziestym wieku. |
Halves of a century
Often, we need to be more specific by referring to a half (połowa) of a century.
When you say "of the century", you must use the Genitive case. Conveniently, the Genitive form of wiek is also wieku. However, the ordinal number takes the masculine Genitive ending -ego:
- dziewiętnastego wieku (of the nineteenth century)
- dwudziestego wieku (of the twentieth century)
If you want to describe an event happening in a specific half, połowa changes to its Locative form (w pierwszej połowie), followed by the century in the Genitive case.
| The second half of the nineteenth century was an important breakthrough. | Druga połowa dziewiętnastego wieku była ważnym przełomem. |
| Did this scientist invent it in the first half of the twentieth century? | Czy ten naukowiec wynalazł to w pierwszej połowie dwudziestego wieku? |