Questions & Answers about Ziemniaki są tanie.
Why does the plural noun ziemniaki end in -i? Doesn't that usually mean it's a group of men?
While it's true that the -i ending often marks virile (male-person) plurals, there is a spelling rule for nouns ending in -k or -g. Because ziemniak ends in a -k, we must add -i to make it plural, regardless of its gender. That gives us ziemniaki.
Why does the adjective tanie end in -e here?
In the plural, Polish adjectives have two main forms: one for groups including men (virile), and one for everything else (non-virile). Since potatoes are not male people, we use the non-virile ending -e. The base word tani (cheap) becomes tanie.
How would this sentence change if I wanted to say 'The potato is cheap' in the singular?
You would say Ziemniak jest tani. Since ziemniak is a masculine noun, the verb changes to the singular jest and the adjective takes its masculine singular form tani.
I've heard another word used for potatoes. Is ziemniaki the right one to learn?
Ziemniaki is the most standard and universally understood word for potatoes across Poland. However, depending on the region, you might also hear kartofle (very common) or pyry (especially around Poznań).
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