Polish · Everyday Verbs

"to kiss" in Polish: całować

całować

Say it: tsavovatshverb/tsawɔvatɕ/

To kiss in Polish is całować. The useful forms are całuję (I), całujesz (you, singular) and całuje (he, she or it). Całować takes an accusative person; pocałować marks one completed kiss.

Your own action

Całuję dziecko na dobranoc.
I kiss my child goodnight.
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How to pronounce całować

Say it

tsavovatsh

/tsawɔvatɕ/

In całować, ł sounds like English w; ć/ci has a soft ch-like sound. The content words in całować normally use penultimate stress when they have multiple syllables.

"to kiss" in Polish: quick reference

PolishEnglish
całowaćto kiss

Infinitive or dictionary expression.

całujęI kiss

First-person singular present.

całujeszyou kiss

Informal second-person singular.

całujehe or she kisses

Third-person singular.

How to use całować in real life

  1. 1Your own action

    Całuję dziecko na dobranoc.

    I kiss my child goodnight.

    Całuję is the form shown for your action in this example.

  2. 2Speaking to one person

    Całujesz mamę na powitanie?

    Do you kiss Mom in greeting?

    Use całujesz when addressing one person informally; polite address uses third-person grammar.

  3. 3Another person or situation

    Ona całuje męża.

    She kisses her husband.

    Całować takes an accusative person; pocałować marks one completed kiss.

Mistakes English speakers make with całować

Incorrect: Ja całować.

Correct: Ja całuję.

Conjugate całować with ja: całuję. A bare infinitive cannot express this statement.

Incorrect: Ty całuję.

Correct: Ty całujesz.

For informal singular ty, the matching form of całować is całujesz, rather than the first-person form.

Good to know

Całować takes an accusative person; pocałować marks one completed kiss.

Read this practice conversation aloud

Talk about kiss

  1. Partner

    Podaj przykład użycia tego czasownika.

    Give an example using this verb.

  2. You

    Całuję dziecko na dobranoc.

    I kiss my child goodnight.

  3. Partner

    A jak zapytasz drugą osobę?

    And how will you ask another person?

  4. You

    Całujesz mamę na powitanie?

    Do you kiss Mom in greeting?

This is a sample dialogue for reading aloud. Try both parts, then replace a detail with one from your own life.

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"to kiss" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to kiss" in Polish

What does całować mean?

Całować takes an accusative person; pocałować marks one completed kiss.

How do I use całować with “I”?

The first-person form is całuję. For example: Całuję dziecko na dobranoc. — I kiss my child goodnight.

How do I ask one person using całować?

Use całujesz for informal singular you. Całujesz mamę na powitanie? — Do you kiss Mom in greeting?

What is the third-person form of całować?

Use całuje with a singular subject. Ona całuje męża. — She kisses her husband.

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