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Questions & Answers about Ile talerzy chcecie?
Why do we use the genitive form talerzy here instead of the basic plural talerze?
Because of the word ile (how many). In Polish, words expressing quantity or amount (like ile, dużo, mało, or numbers from 5 upwards) force the following noun into the genitive case. Since we are asking about multiple plates, we need the genitive plural.
Why does the genitive plural of talerz end in -y rather than the common masculine ending -ów?
Talerz (plate) is a masculine noun. While many masculine nouns take -ów in the genitive plural (like studentów or psów), masculine nouns ending in a "soft" or "historically soft" sound (like rz, cz, sz, ż, c) usually take -y or -i. Because talerz ends in the rz sound, its genitive plural is talerzy.
What is the nominative (basic) plural of talerz?
The basic plural is talerze. It's very helpful to remember both plurals together: use talerze when it's the subject or a standard direct object (e.g., Kupuję talerze - I am buying plates), and talerzy when you are counting them or expressing a quantity (e.g., Pięć talerzy - Five plates).