An adverb is a word or a phrase used as a modifier of adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. We’re going to introduce you today to the rules of use and formation of adverbs in Polish, as well as the 100 most common Polish adverbs. Are you ready to learn about adverbs in Polish?
Language blog posts and other resources such as Must-Know Adverbs and Phrases for Connecting Thoughts are waiting for you on PolishPod101.com.
Table of Contents- Polish Adverbs: Placement and Formation
- Gradation of Adverbs in Polish
- Uncomparable Adverbs
- The Diminutive Form of Polish Adverbs
- Polish Adverbs of Time
- Polish Adverbs of Frequency
- Polish Adverbs of Place
- Polish Adverbs of Manner
- Final Thoughts
1. Polish Adverbs: Placement and Formation
You already know from the introduction what a Polish adverb (przysłówek) can be used for and what it modifies. Now, it’s time to have a look at the placement and formation of basic Polish adverbs, and phrases that behave like adverbs. Just a note before we start: some adverbs in Polish look like adjectives to native English speakers, so don’t be surprised by their translations.
1- Placement of Adverbs
In most cases, adverbs in Polish are placed in front of verbs, like in this example:
- On wolno biega.
“He runs slowly.”
However, it’s acceptable to place Polish adverbs after the verb for emphasis. When an adverb in Polish modifies an adjective, it’s also placed before it:
- Ona jest źle wychowana.
“She’s badly behaved.”
2- Formation of Adverbs
Adverbs in Polish are formed from adjectives. To create an adverb, you need the stem of an adjective, which is usually obtained by removing the last letter from the masculine form of an adjective. If you don’t feel confident with adjectives in Polish yet, familiarize yourself with our resources: Using Adjectives and High Frequency Adjectives.
Have a look at what’s happening with the adjective szybki (“quick”) in order to form an adverb:
szybki (“quick”) -> szybk
Once you have a stem like szybk, you need to add an appropriate ending to form an adverb. In this case, it’s -o:
szybki (adjective) -> szybko (adverb) [“quickly”]
This is the most common pattern in Polish adverb formation. Here are some other examples:
mocny (adj.) [“strong”] -> mocno (adv.) [“strongly”]
jasny (adj.) [“light”] -> jasno (adv.) [“lightly”]
suchy (adj.) [“dry”] -> sucho (adv.) [“dryly”]
Another pattern governs adjectives with a stem ending in a consonant other than -k and -l, and followed by -n. These adverbs take the ending -ie:
spokojny (adj.) [“calm”] -> spokojnie (adv.) [“calmly”]
wygodny (adj.) [“comfortable”] -> wygodnie (adv.) [“comfortably”]
ładny (adj.) [“pretty”] -> ładnie (adv.) [“prettily”]
pogodny (adj.) [“bright”] -> pogodnie (adv.) [“brightly”]
The final rule applies to adjectives with the masculine form ending in -ry. These adverbs take the ending -rze:
mądry (adj.) [“wise”] -> mądrze (adv.) [“wisely”]
dobry (adj.) [“good”] -> dobrze (adv.) [“well”]
As you know about languages, where there are rules, there are exceptions:
zły (adj.) [“bad”] -> źle (adv.) (“badly”)
stary (adj.) [“old”] -> staro (adv.) (“old”)
2. Gradation of Adverbs in Polish
An adverb in Polish, unlike an adjective, is unchangeable. This means that it looks the same regardless of the word it modifies. However, an adverb can be susceptible to gradation, and when it is, it has comparative and superlative forms.
As someone who wants to learn about adverbs in Polish, vocabulary formation rules regarding gradation will come in very handy for you.
1- Comparatives
Very often, a comparative adverb can be obtained by adding the suffix -ej or -iej to the stem of an adverb:
łatwo (“easily”) -> łatwiej (“more easily”)
trudno (“difficult”) -> trudniej (“more difficult”)
przyjemnie (“pleasantly”) -> przyjemniej (“more pleasantly”)
Exceptions mostly include changes to sounds, and become predictable as you practice Polish:
gorąco (“hot”) -> goręcej (“hotter”)
wesoło (“cheerfully”) -> weselej (“more cheerfully”)
zielono (“green”) -> zieleniej (“greener”)
The comparative can also be formed by adding the word bardziej (“more”) in front of the adverb. It’s always an acceptable alternative. Here’s an example of both gradation techniques:
ciemno (“dark”) -> ciemniej (“darker”)
-> bardziej ciemno (“darker”)
How do you know whether the comparative or superlative form is correct? You can use this Polish online dictionary to double-check.
2- Superlatives
The superlative is based on the comparative. You need to add the prefix -naj:
łatwiej (“more easily”) -> najłatwiej (“the most easily”)
goręcej (“hotter”) -> najgoręcej (“the hottest”)
weselej (“more cheerfully”) -> najweselej (“the most cheerfully”)
Just like in the case of comparatives, it’s possible to create superlatives by adding a word in front of an adverb in Polish. This time it’s najbardziej (“the most”):
ciemniej (“darker”) -> najciemniej (“the darkest”)
bardziej ciemno (“darker”) -> najbardziej ciemno (“the darkest”)
3. Uncomparable Adverbs
When trying to learn about adverbs in Polish, grammar basics are necessary. Unfortunately, not all adverbs undergo gradation. It very often has to do with the meaning of a particular adverb, as its gradation wouldn’t make sense.
A good example is the Polish equivalent of the word “absolutely” (absolutnie). It’d sound strange in English too, to say “more absolutely” or “the most absolutely.” Here are some more uncomparable adverbs:
- bezgotówkowo (“cashless”)
W tym sklepie płaci się bezgotówkowo.
“This store is cashless.” (Literally: “In this store, one can only pay cashless.”)
- aktualnie (“at the moment” / “currently”)
Aktualnie nie ma takiej potrzeby.
“Currently, there’s no such need.”
- bezczynnie (“without any activity” / “doing nothing”)
Siedzi bezczynnie.
“He’s sitting there doing nothing.”
- bezsennie (“sleepless”)
Leżę w łóżku bezsennie.
“I lay in my bed sleeplessly.”
- bezpłatnie (“for free”)
Można zbadać się bezpłatnie.
“One can do a check-up for free.”
- boso (“barefoot”)
Moja córka kocha chodzić boso.
“My daughter loves walking barefoot.”
- całkowicie (“entirely”)
Ufacie mu całkowicie.
“You trust him entirely.”
- głównie (“mainly”)
Jest to problem głównie wśród młodzieży.
“It’s a problem mainly among teenagers.”
- ledwo (“barely”)
Ledwo nam się udało.
“We barely managed.”
- magicznie (“magically”)
Było magicznie!
“It was magical!”
- niechętnie (“unwillingly”)
Niechętnie przyznał jej rację.
“Unwillingly, he admitted that she was right.”
- chętnie (“willingly” / “gladly”)
Chętnie pójdę na spacer.
“I’ll willingly go for a walk.”
- naprawdę (“really”)
Twój dom jest naprawdę piękny.
“Your house is really beautiful.”
4. The Diminutive Form of Polish Adverbs
Polish adverbs can also be modified to create their diminutive forms. There’s a number of endings that can be added to a Polish adverb for this purpose, but only one is applicable in most cases. Look at what happens with the adverb cicho (“quietly”):
| -utko | cichutko |
The changes in sounds are often similar to the ones governing comparatives:
wesoło (adv.) -> weselej (comp.) -> weselutko (dim.)
czerwono (adv.) -> czerwieniej (comp.) -> czerwieniutko (dim.)
Now that you know all of the basics, it’s time to begin our Polish adverbs list!
5. Polish Adverbs of Time
Polish adverbs of time answer the question “When?” (Kiedy?).
- przedwczoraj (“the day before yesterday”)
Kupiłam to przedwczoraj.
“I bought it the day before yesterday.”
- wczoraj (“yesterday”)
Wczoraj poszłam do kina.
“I went to the cinema yesterday.”
- dziś / dzisiaj (“today”) – these two forms are interchangeable
Dziś / dzisiaj nie mam czasu.
“I don’t have time today.”
- wcześnie (“soon”)
Jest za wcześnie!
“It’s too soon!”
- późno (“late”)
Już późno.
“It’s already late.”
- najpierw (“firstly”)
Najpierw zjedz obiad.
“Firstly, eat your lunch.”
- ostatecznie (“lastly,” “finally”)
Ostatecznie się zgodził.
“Lastly/Finally, he agreed.”
- przedtem (“before”)
Nawet przedtem to się zdarzało.
“It happened even before.”
- potem (“after”)
Najpierw wypił sok, a potem piwo.
“Firstly, he drank his juice and then a beer.”
- teraz (“now”)
Teraz jest za późno.
“Now, it’s too late.”
- wcześniej (“previously”)
Wcześniej nie wiedzieliśmy jak to zrobić.
“Previously, we didn’t know how to do it.”
- niedawno (“recently”)
Niedawno się wprowadzili.
“They moved in recently.”
- obecnie (“currently”)
Obecnie nie macie pracy.
“Currently, you’re unemployed.”
Below, you can find a table of other adverbs in Polish referring to time:
| Last | This | Next | |
| Week | W ostatnim tygodniu | W tym tygodniu | W przyszłym tygodniu |
| Month | W ostatnim miesiącu | W tym miesiącu | W przyszłym miesiącu |
| Year | W ostatnim roku | W tym roku | W przyszłym roku |
W ostatnim tygodniu nic nie zarobił.
“He didn’t earn any money last week.”
W tym miesiącu kupujemy samochód.
“We’re buying a car this month.”
W przyszłym roku kończy studia.
“He’s graduating next year.”
That’s not all you should know about the time in Polish. To learn how to ask “What time is it?”, simply click on the link. If you want to learn about more Polish adverbs related to time, check out our blog post about telling the time.
6. Polish Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency in Polish are words used to answer the question “How often?” (Jak często?).
- Have you read our article about 100 Polish verbs yet? While you’re at it, check out our list of 2000 core words.
Here’s a list of Polish adverbs of frequency:
- nigdy (“never”)
Nigdy bym tak nie powiedziała.
“I’d never say that!”
- rzadko (“rarely”)
Rzadko się widujemy.
“We rarely see one another.”
- nieczęsto (“seldom”)
Nieczęsto wychodzi z domu.
“He doesn’t leave home often.”
- często (“often” / “frequently”)
Często nie ma nas w domu.
“We’re often not at home.”
- zazwyczaj (“usually”)
Zazwyczaj o tej porze czytam gazetę.
“At this time, I usually read a newspaper.”
- zawsze (“always”)
Zawsze mam rację.
“I’m always right.”
- cały czas (“all the time”)
Ona cały czas płacze.
“She cries all the time.”
- czasami (“sometimes”)
Czasami nas odwiedzają.
“Sometimes they visit us.”
There’s also a number of adverbial expressions with co (“what,” but here it should be translated as “every”), which are useful for talking about frequency:
Co…
…godzinę (“every hour”)
Bierz jedną tabletkę co godzinę.
“Take one tablet every hour.”
…dziennie [spelled together] (“every day”)
Codziennie to samo.
“It’s the same thing every day.”
…tydzień (“every week”)
Robert co tydzień odwiedza matkę.
“Robert visits his mother every week.”
7. Polish Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place answer the question “Where?” (Gdzie?).
- tutaj (“here”)
Tutaj wybudujemy dom.
“We’ll build a house here.”
- tam (“there”)
Tam nie ma już słoneczników.
“There are no more sunflowers there.”
- wszędzie (“everywhere”)
Szukałam wszędzie.
“I’ve looked everywhere.”
- wewnątrz (“inside”)
Wewnątrz nic nie ma.
“There’s nothing inside.”
- na zewnątrz (“outside”)
Maja trzyma psy na zewnątrz.
“Maja keeps her dogs outside.”
- na górze (“upstairs”)
Zostawiłam je na górze.
“I left them upstairs.”
- na dole (“downstairs”)
Na dole mieszkają moi rodzice.
“My parents live downstairs.”
- za granicą (“abroad”)
Magda zawsze chciała mieszkać za granicą.
“Magda’s always wanted to live abroad.”
- poza (“away”)
Oni uczą się poza domem.
“They study away from home.”
- dookoła (“around”)
Rozejrzałam się dookoła.
“I’ve looked around.”
- blisko (“near”)
Pracujecie blisko domu.
“You work near home.”
- daleko (“far”)
Wyjeżdżasz daleko?
“Are you going far (away)?”
Do you already know how to talk about directions and finding places in Poland? If not, click on the link to learn all you need to know about it.
8. Polish Adverbs of Manner
Polish adverbs of manner are used to describe the manner in which a given action has been performed:
- powoli (“slowly”)
Chodzimy powoli.
“We walk slowly.”
- prędko (“quickly”)
Prędko to nie nastąpi.
“It won’t happen quickly.”
- ostrożnie (“carefully”)
Prowadźcie ostrożnie.
“Drive carefully.”
- lekkomyślnie (“carelessly”)
Beata zachowuje się lekkomyślnie.
“Beata behaves carelessly.”
- głośno (“loudly”)
Jest tu za głośno.
“It’s too loud here.”
- szczęśliwie (“happily”)
Żyli długo i szczęśliwie.
“They lived happily ever after.”
- nieszczęśliwie (“unhappily”)
Adam jest nieszczęśliwie zakochany.
“Adam is unhappily in love.”
- pięknie (“beautifully”)
Wyglądała pięknie.
“She looked beautifully.”
- brzydko (“ugly”)
Brzydko tu jest.
“It’s ugly here.”
- dosłownie (“literally”)
Ania bierze wszystko dosłownie.
“Ania takes everything literally.”
- zwyczajnie (“simply” / “ordinarily”)
Zwyczajnie nie masz racji!
“You’re simply wrong!”
- płytko (“shallowly”)
Jest tu za płytko.
“It’s too shallow here.”
- głęboko (“deeply”)
On jest głęboko wierzący.
“He’s deeply religious.”
- niezręcznie (“awkwardly”)
Zachowała się niezręcznie.
“She behaved awkwardly.”
- miło (“nice”)
Miło mi Cię poznać.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
- nerwowo (“nervously”)
Nerwowo poprawiła włosy.
“She nervously rearranged her hair.”
- nudno (“boring”)
Na lekcji było nudno.
“The lesson was boring.”
- ciekawie (“in an interesting way”)
Ciekawie opowiadał o historii.
“He spoke about history in an interesting manner.”
- koniecznie (“necessarily”)
Koniecznie mi o tym opowiedz.
“You must tell me about it.”
- długo (“long”)
Długo już czekamy.
“We’ve been waiting long.”
- krótko (“shortly”)
Nie będzie mnie krótko.
“I will be gone shortly.” (The meaning here is: “for a short time.”)
- wysoko (“high”)
Czy trzeba się wysoko wspinać?
“Do you need to climb high?”
- nisko (“low”)
Samolot leci nisko.
“The plane is flying low.”
- drogo (“expensive”)
W tym sklepie jest drogo.
“This shop is expensive.” (Literally: “It’s expensive in this shop.”)
- tanio (“cheaply”)
Gdzie tanio kupić mleko sojowe?
“Where can you buy soy milk cheaply?”
9. Final Thoughts
We hope you find this article helpful on your journey in learning about adverbs in Polish. Language blog posts like this one are here on PolishPod101.com to clearly explain complex grammar concepts to you. Speaking of, have you read our article on Polish conjugations and Polish pronouns yet?
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Don’t go yet! In the comments section, tell us what the comparative and superlative forms of the adverb zwyczajnie are, based on what you’ve learned today. Good luck!
