Relative Pronouns: Who, Which, and That
To add detail about a noun, use the relative pronoun który (who, which, or that). In Polish, relative clauses are always preceded by a comma.
The pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun it describes.
Singular Forms
When the relative pronoun is the subject of its own clause, use the Nominative case:
- Masculine: który
- Feminine: która
- Neuter: które
| This screen which is lying here is broken. | Ten ekran, który tu leży, jest zepsuty. |
| The main elevator, which is next to the office, does not work. | Główna winda, która jest obok biura, nie działa. |
| The main entrance, which is open now, is over there. | Główne wejście, które jest teraz otwarte, jest tam. |
English uses "who" for people and "which" for things, but Polish uses the same pronoun for both.
| The owner, who is drinking coffee, is a good man. | Właściciel, który pije kawę, jest dobrym człowiekiem. |
Plural Forms
For plural nouns that do not include male people (non-virile), use które. It looks exactly like the neuter singular form.
| The batteries that are on the table are full. | Baterie, które są na stole, są pełne. |
Case in Relative Clauses
A relative pronoun gets its gender and number from the noun it describes, but its case depends on its job in the new clause. If the pronoun is the subject of the new clause, use the Nominative case—even if the original noun was the object of the main sentence.
| I know the owner who has a large dog. | Znam właściciela, który ma dużego psa. |