Questions & Answers about Mam trzydzieści dwa lata.
Why does this sentence use Mam instead of the Polish word for 'I am'?
In English you say 'I am' a certain age, but in Polish you use the verb mieć (to have). You are literally saying 'I have thirty-two years.' Mam is the 'I' form of this verb.
Why is the word for years lata here instead of lat or rok?
In Polish, the word for 'years' changes based on the last digit of the number. For 1 year, it is rok. If the number ends in 2, 3, or 4 (like 32), you use lata. For numbers ending in 5 to 9, 0, or the teens (11 to 19), you use lat. Since 32 ends in dwa (2), it must be paired with lata.
Does the number dwa change if a woman is speaking?
No, it stays exactly the same. The number dwa (two) is interacting with the word lata (years), so it doesn't change based on the gender of the person who is speaking.
Do I need a connecting word between trzydzieści and dwa?
No, you do not need a word for 'and'. To make compound numbers in Polish, you simply state the tens and then the units right next to each other: trzydzieści dwa (thirty-two).