Counting with 2, 3, and 4
When counting 2, 3, or 4 inanimate objects or animals in Polish, the noun takes its standard plural form. For these non-human nouns, the Nominative plural (for subjects) and the Accusative plural (for direct objects) are identical.
The numbers 3 (trzy) and 4 (cztery) remain the same across these genders. The number 2, however, has two forms:
- dwa for masculine and neuter nouns
- dwie for feminine nouns
| two (f) | dwie |
| I am counting two horses and three cows. | Liczę dwa konie i trzy krowy. |
| Tomorrow I will count four large cars. | Jutro będę liczyć cztery duże samochody. |
When counting feminine nouns like kaczki (ducks), myszy (mice), or krowy (cows), use dwie.
| I have two ducks and four mice here. | Mam tu dwie kaczki i cztery myszy. |
Subjects vs. Direct Objects
Because the Nominative and Accusative forms are identical for objects and animals, a counted phrase looks exactly the same whether it is the subject or the direct object.
Here are groups of animals as the subject (Nominative):
| Two cows are eating tasty apples. | Dwie krowy jedzą smaczne jabłka. |
| Two ducks are drinking cold water. | Dwie kaczki piją zimną wodę. |
And here are numeric phrases as the direct object (Accusative) of verbs like karmić (to feed) and łapać (to catch):
| Now I am feeding my four horses. | Teraz karmię moje cztery konie. |
| My cat often catches two mice. | Mój kot często łapie dwie myszy. |
| Why are you catching four small ducks? | Dlaczego łapiesz cztery małe kaczki? |
Neuter nouns like zwierzęta (animals) and masculine animals like motyle (butterflies) both take dwa:
| I will feed two animals. | Będę karmić dwa zwierzęta. |
| I have three small animals and two butterflies. | Mam trzy małe zwierzęta i dwa motyle. |