The -ę / -esz Conjugation Group
The third major group of Polish verbs uses the endings -ę and -esz in the present tense. The singular endings are:
- -ę (I)
- -esz (you)
- -e (he/she/it)
Plural forms build on this same vowel, such as -ecie for "you" (plural). A common verb in this group is pisać (to write). Its stem changes slightly to pisz- when conjugated.
| I am writing a letter. | Piszę list. |
| Do you write every day? | Czy piszesz codziennie? |
| She is writing a note in the notebook. | Ona pisze notatkę w zeszycie. |
Verbs Ending in -ować
Verbs ending in -ować form a large, regular sub-group. To conjugate them in the present tense, drop the -ować and replace it with -uj- before adding the standard endings (-ę, -esz, -e, etc.). For example, studiować (to study) becomes studiuję (I study) and studiuje (he/she studies).
| I study Polish. | Studiuję język polski. |
| My brother studies only English. | Mój brat studiuje tylko angielski. |
| Do you work every day? | Czy pracujecie codziennie? |
This -uj- rule applies to other common verbs like dziękować (to thank) and gotować (to cook).
| Thank you very much. | Dziękuję bardzo. |
| Is he cooking lunch today? | Czy on dzisiaj gotuje obiad? |
Describing Daily Routines
You will often use this verb group to talk about everyday communication and routines, combining them with nouns like zeszyt (notebook), notatka (note), or długopis (pen). Short verbs like pić (to drink) also follow this pattern (e.g., piję, pijesz).
| I am drinking coffee and writing. | Piję kawę i piszę. |
| This pen writes very well. | Ten długopis pisze bardzo dobrze. |