Cases / Przypadki

Word order in Polish is less important than in English. The function of nouns in the sentence is determined by the 'case' the noun appears in. Cases are distinguished by the various suffixes applied to nouns, depending on their function in the sentence. I'll post a chart (or a link to one) of case endings shortly. This is a rudimentary snapshot of Polish cases and their uses, very much in progress. I, of course, don't understand all of this. There's a good chance I don't understand any of it. As my understanding grows I'll expand these notes.

I also recognise that trying to master all seven cases in their myriad forms at this point is a little premature. It's just what I'm making notes on now because my teacher is making me learn them. 

Here they are, with their English and Polish names, and questions that correspond to them.

1. Nominative / Mianownik: Kto? Co?
2. Genitive / Dopełniacz: Kogo? Czego?
3. Dative / Celownik: Komu? Czemu?
4. Accusative / Biernik: Kogo? Co?
5. Instrumental / Narzędnik: z Kim? z Czym?
6. Locative / Miejscownik: o Kim? o Czym?
7. Vocative / Wołacz: O!

Notes on case use:

1. Nominative / Mianownik: Kto? Co?

• subject of the sentence

2. Genitive / Dopełniacz: Kogo? Czego? nie ma . . .

• indicates possession, most senses of 'of'

3. Dative / Celownik: Komu? Czemu? się przyglądam . . .

• indicates indirect object (to or for something is done)

4. Accusative / Biernik: Kogo? Co? widzę . . .

• indicates direct object (thing perceived by or acted on by the subject)

5. Instrumental / Narzędnik: z Kim? z Czym?

• indicates means by which something is done (by tram, with a pen)

6. Locative / Miejscownik: o Kim? o Czym?

• used with certain prepositions

7. Vocative / Wołacz: O!

• direct address

I have added this post to the 'reference' section on the right and will add to it as my understanding grows. I hope it is obvious that 1) I don't profess to be any kind of authority on these matters and 2) that I don't intend or expect that anyone will necessarily learn anything from these kinds of posts. For now it's mostly a public record of my notes.

Topics to be visited soon: basic verbs, prepositions, and my favourite topic - animals and their sounds. Hroom Hroom! Any suggestions? What's your favourite animal (English or Polish)? More interestingly, what sound does it make? Moo? Meow? Oink? Think about it and leave a comment.