In Polish, words like "This" or "My" act like adjectives. They function together with the noun, so they must change their form to match the gender of the noun they are describing.

⚠️ Important Note:

To use these pronouns correctly, you must know the Gender of the word you are talking about.

If you are not sure how to identify if a word is Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter, read the Polish Gender topic.

Here is how to point at things and say who owns them.

Demonstrative Pronouns ("This")

When you want to point at a specific object close to you, you use the word Ten. However, because of gender rules, Ten has three basic forms in the singular.

The Rule of "This"

What about "That"? (Far away)

If you want to point at something further away, you simply add tam- to the beginning of the word.

1. tamten (that masculine thing over there)
2. tamta (that feminine thing over there)
3. tamto (that neuter thing over there)

Possessive Pronouns ("My, Your...")

Using possessives in Polish follows one specific rule:

The pronoun matches the OBJECT, not the owner.

1. If a man holds a bag (torba - Feminine), he must use the Feminine form of "my".
2. It does not matter that the owner is a man. It matters that the object (bag) is feminine.

Group A: The Changing Pronouns

These pronouns change their ending depending on the gender of the thing you possess.

Examples:

1. To jest mój paszport. (Masculine noun)
2. To jest moja rodzina. (Feminine noun)
3. To jest moje auto. (Neuter noun)

Group B: The Fixed Pronouns (Unchangeable) 🎉

There is a special group of pronouns that NEVER change form. They stay exactly the same, regardless of whether the object is masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Summary Cheat Sheet

Here is a quick reference table combining Gender, Pointing, and Owning.

🧐📖 Read More about: Polish Gender, Polish Adjectives, Polish Plural