Polish · People & Family
"Person" in Polish: osoba
osoba
Person in Polish is osoba. Osoba is feminine; useful forms are osoby (genitive), osobę (direct object) and osobą (instrumental). Osoba is grammatically feminine regardless of the person's gender; człowiek is another general word for a person.
Identifying or describing person
Osoba jest przy recepcji.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce osoba
Say it
osoba
/ɔsɔba/
In osoba, keep the vowels clear and avoid adding vowels inside consonant clusters. The content words in osoba normally use penultimate stress when they have multiple syllables.
"Person" in Polish: quick reference
| Polish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| osoba | person Dictionary form for feminine osoba. | Dictionary form for feminine osoba. |
| osoby | of person Genitive form, used for example after nie ma. | Genitive form, used for example after nie ma. |
| osobą | with person Instrumental form after z meaning with. | Instrumental form after z meaning with. |
| osobę | person as a direct object Accusative form, used with many affirmative object-taking verbs. | Accusative form, used with many affirmative object-taking verbs. |
How to use osoba in real life
- 1Identifying or describing person
Osoba jest przy recepcji.
The person is at reception.
This sentence uses osoba to describe person in context.
- 2Using person in daily life
Widzę jedną osobę w kolejce.
I see one person in the queue.
Notice the form used for osoba in this practical sentence.
- 3Another use of person
Rozmawiam z tą osobą.
I talk with that person.
The construction shows how osoba fits a different situation.
Mistakes English speakers make with osoba
Incorrect: Nie ma osoba.
Correct: Nie ma osoby.
After nie ma, osoba takes the genitive form osoby.
Incorrect: z osoba
Correct: z osobą
When z means with, use the instrumental: z osobą. Z can also mean from.
Good to know
Osoba is grammatically feminine regardless of the person's gender; człowiek is another general word for a person.
Read this practice conversation aloud
Describe person in two different contexts
Partner
Ułóż zdanie z tym słowem.
Make a sentence with this word.
You
Osoba jest przy recepcji.
The person is at reception.
Partner
A teraz podaj inny przykład.
Now give a different example.
You
Widzę jedną osobę w kolejce.
I see one person in the queue.
This is a sample dialogue for reading aloud. Try both parts, then replace a detail with one from your own life.
Explore ChatPal"Person" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Person" in Polish
What grammatical form is osoba?
Osoba is feminine. No article is required with osoba; surrounding words carry its gender and number agreement.
How does osoba change as a direct object?
The accusative form is osobę. For comparison, the genitive is osoby; negation can change the case required by a verb.
How do I use osoba after “with”?
Use z osobą. Here z introduces the instrumental form of osoba, rather than its dictionary form.
What should I know about using osoba?
Osoba is grammatically feminine regardless of the person's gender; człowiek is another general word for a person.
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