Present tense verbs 2 (-ę, -isz / -ysz)

The -ę / -isz / -ysz Conjugation Group

You have already seen verbs that end in -am and -asz (like czytać). Now you will learn the second major group of Polish verbs. These usually end in -ić, -yć, or -eć in their dictionary form, such as mówić (to speak) or słyszeć (to hear).

Here is the conjugation pattern. Notice that the ja form always ends in -ę, while the ty form ends in either -isz or -ysz.

In the ja (I) form, all verbs in this group end in -ę.

Verbs with -isz

For most verbs in this group, the ty (you) form takes -isz. You will use this pattern for very common verbs like mówić (to speak), myśleć (to think), and dzwonić (to call).

When to use -ysz

Because of Polish pronunciation rules, the letter i cannot follow certain "hard" consonant sounds (like sz, cz, or rz). When a verb stem ends in one of these sounds, the -isz ending becomes -ysz, and all the other -i endings change to -y.

This happens with verbs like słyszeć (to hear) and tańczyć (to dance). Notice how the next sentence contains both an -isz verb (dzwonić) and an -ysz verb (słyszeć).

Plural Forms: -my and -cie

For "we" (my) and "you plural" (wy), the endings are -my and -cie added directly to the third-person singular form.

• An -isz verb takes -imy and -icie.
• An -ysz verb takes -ymy and -ycie.

Notice the difference between chodzić (which uses -i) and tańczyć (which uses -y) in this sentence:

The "Oni / One" Form

In the third-person plural (oni for a mixed or male group, one for an all-female or neuter group), the ending is -ą.

If the verb uses the -isz pattern, it usually keeps the soft "i" sound before the ending, making it -ią (as in mówią). If it uses the -ysz pattern, it takes -ą directly (as in słyszą).

Formal Address: Pan, Pani, and Państwo

When speaking formally, remember that Pan (Sir) and Pani (Madam) act as third-person singular subjects (like on or ona). Therefore, they take the -i or -y verb ending.

When addressing a group of people formally, you use Państwo (Ladies and Gentlemen). This acts as a third-person plural subject (like oni), so it takes the -ą or -ią ending.

Proszę: I ask / Please

The word for "please" in Polish is proszę. This is actually just the ja (I) form of the verb prosić (to ask). When you say proszę, you are literally saying "I ask" or "I am asking for."