Word
Nie ma gorszego szefa.
Meaning
There is no worse boss.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Nie ma gorszego szefa.
Where does the word gorszego come from?
Gorszego is a form of gorszy, which means 'worse'. It is the irregular comparative form of the adjective zły (bad). Just like in English where 'bad' becomes 'worse', Polish does the same thing: zły completely changes its root word to become gorszy.
Why do we use the endings -ego and -a in gorszego szefa?
Because they are in the genitive case. The phrase nie ma (meaning 'there is not' or 'there is no') always forces the noun and its describing adjective into the genitive case. Since szef is a masculine noun, it takes the -a ending, and its comparative adjective takes the -ego ending.
Doesn't nie ma literally mean 'he or she does not have'?
Yes, it can mean that! However, nie ma is also the standard Polish phrase for 'there is not' or 'there are not'. When used this way, it describes the general absence of something rather than a specific person's lack of possession.
How would I say 'There is no better boss' to practice another irregular comparative?
You would use lepszego, which is the genitive form of lepszy (better). Lepszy is the irregular comparative of dobry (good). The full sentence would be Nie ma lepszego szefa.