Verbal Nouns (-nie, -cie)
To talk about an activity as a concept—like "reading" or "running" in English—Polish uses verbal nouns (rzeczowniki odczasownikowe). They are created by dropping the verb's infinitive ending and adding -nie or -cie.
All verbal nouns are neuter. Because they function as nouns, you can use them as the subject of a sentence, modify them with adjectives, or link them to nouns like zajęcie (activity).
Forming Nouns with -nie
Most verbs, especially those ending in -ać or -ować, form their verbal noun with -nie. For example, czytać (to read) becomes czytanie (reading), and pływać (to swim) becomes pływanie (swimming).
| Reading is my favorite activity. | Czytanie to moje ulubione zajęcie. |
| Swimming is very healthy. | Pływanie jest bardzo zdrowe. |
Just like regular nouns, you can use them to compare activities or describe them in detail.
| Running is as tiring as swimming. | Bieganie jest tak samo męczące jak pływanie. |
| Writing books is difficult. | Pisanie książek jest trudne. |
Hobbies and Interests
Verbal nouns are perfect for talking about your hobbies and passions, which you can refer to as your zainteresowanie (interest).
| Playing football is his only interest. | Granie w futbol to jego jedyne zainteresowanie. |
| Traveling is not cheap, but it is wonderful. | Podróżowanie nie jest tanie, ale jest cudowne. |
Forming Nouns with -cie
Some verbs, particularly short ones ending in -yć or -ić (such as myć - to wash), form their verbal nouns with -cie.
| Washing the car is my duty. | Mycie samochodu to mój obowiązek. |