Indefinite Quantities and the Genitive Plural
When you want to estimate a number rather than give an exact amount, Polish uses indefinite numerals like kilka, parę, kilkanaście, and kilkadziesiąt.
Grammatically, these words behave exactly like numbers 5 and above: they force the following noun (and any adjectives attached to it) into the Genitive plural case.
A Few: Parę and Kilka
Parę and kilka both mean "a few" or "several." They are completely interchangeable.
A Dozen or So: Kilkanaście
The word kilkanaście is formed by combining kilka with the suffix -naście (the same suffix used in exact numbers 11–19, like jedenaście). It represents an indefinite number between 11 and 19, translating roughly to "a dozen or so."
Several Dozen: Kilkadziesiąt
Similarly, kilkadziesiąt uses the suffix -dziesiąt (used for exact tens, like pięćdziesiąt). It represents a quantity between 20 and 99, meaning "several dozen."
Just like exact numbers, indefinite numerals take a special form when referring to masculine personal nouns (groups of men, or mixed-gender groups of people). For these nouns, the numeral changes to end in -u:
- kilka → kilku
- parę → paru
- kilkanaście → kilkunastu
- kilkadziesiąt → kilkudziesięciu
Combining Metrics
When checking social media metrics or analyzing engagement, you will often use a combination of these words side-by-side to describe your online reach.
