Plural adjective agreement

Plural Adjectives: Virile and Non-virile

Just like plural nouns, plural adjectives in Polish are split into two categories: virile (męskoosobowe) and non-virile (niemęskoosobowe). When you describe a plural noun, the adjective must match the noun's category.

Non-virile Adjectives (-e)

If you are describing objects, animals, or groups made up entirely of women, use the non-virile form. This is the easier form to make: simply add -e to the adjective stem (or replace the singular ending with -e).

Virile Adjectives and Mutations

If you are describing a group of people that includes at least one male (like politicians, athletes, or a mixed group of journalists), use the virile form.

Virile adjectives typically end in -i or -y. Because adding an -i to a hard consonant can be difficult to pronounce, the final consonant of the adjective often softens (mutates).

Here are the most common adjective mutations you will see:

• n ➔ ni (znany ➔ znani; ważny ➔ ważni)
• t ➔ ci (bogaty ➔ bogaci)
• k ➔ cy (sympatyczny ➔ sympatyczni)
• d ➔ dzi (młody ➔ młodzi)

Spot the Difference

Notice how the exact same adjective changes depending on whether it modifies a virile group (like male actors or mixed students) or a non-virile group (like actresses or inanimate books). The adjective dobry (good) mutates its r to rzy to become the virile dobrzy.