Polish · Everyday Verbs
"to know (a person or place)" in Polish: znać
znać
To know (a person or place) in Polish is znać. The useful forms are znam (I), znasz (you, singular) and zna (he, she or it). Znać expresses familiarity with a person, place, language or work; wiedzieć introduces factual knowledge.
Your own action
Znam twoją siostrę.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce znać
Say it
znatsh
/znatɕ/
In znać, ć/ci has a soft ch-like sound. The content words in znać normally use penultimate stress when they have multiple syllables.
"to know (a person or place)" in Polish: quick reference
| Polish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| znać | to know (a person or place) Infinitive or dictionary expression. | Infinitive or dictionary expression. |
| znam | I know (a person or place) First-person singular present. | First-person singular present. |
| znasz | you know (a person or place) Informal second-person singular. | Informal second-person singular. |
| zna | he or she knows (a person or place) Third-person singular. | Third-person singular. |
How to use znać in real life
- 1Your own action
Znam twoją siostrę.
I know your sister.
Znam is the form shown for your action in this example.
- 2Speaking to one person
Znasz tę ulicę?
Do you know this street?
Use znasz when addressing one person informally; polite address uses third-person grammar.
- 3Another person or situation
On zna język polski.
He knows Polish.
Znać expresses familiarity with a person, place, language or work; wiedzieć introduces factual knowledge.
Mistakes English speakers make with znać
Incorrect: Ja znać.
Correct: Ja znam.
Conjugate znać with ja: znam. A bare infinitive cannot express this statement.
Incorrect: Ty znam.
Correct: Ty znasz.
For informal singular ty, the matching form of znać is znasz, rather than the first-person form.
Good to know
Znać expresses familiarity with a person, place, language or work; wiedzieć introduces factual knowledge.
Read this practice conversation aloud
Talk about know (a person or place)
Partner
Podaj przykład użycia tego czasownika.
Give an example using this verb.
You
Znam twoją siostrę.
I know your sister.
Partner
A jak zapytasz drugą osobę?
And how will you ask another person?
You
Znasz tę ulicę?
Do you know this street?
This is a sample dialogue for reading aloud. Try both parts, then replace a detail with one from your own life.
Explore ChatPal"to know (a person or place)" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to know (a person or place)" in Polish
What does znać mean?
Znać expresses familiarity with a person, place, language or work; wiedzieć introduces factual knowledge.
How do I use znać with “I”?
The first-person form is znam. For example: Znam twoją siostrę. — I know your sister.
How do I ask one person using znać?
Use znasz for informal singular you. Znasz tę ulicę? — Do you know this street?
What is the third-person form of znać?
Use zna with a singular subject. On zna język polski. — He knows Polish.
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