Plural endings

Marek:

You're confusing two different issues now. 'Co?' does of course also mean 'What?' in the Anglo-American sense of 'Huh?', rather than 'Pardon me?', 'I didn't catch that!' and so forth, which is more polite. This distinction though has nothing to do with 'czego?' being a more "polite" form!!

scrivomcdivoThreads: 5 Posts: 8 Joined: Oct 10, 08	Oct 13, 08, 15:54 / #
I am just beginning to learn Polish and am learning my numbers. My audio pack states that when talking about Złoty, this word changes depending on the amount you are talking about eg. "2 Złoty" and "10 Złoty". Why do the endings on the word "Złoty" change depending on the amount? Does this apply to other plurals too or just the word "Złoty"?

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Oct 13, 08, 17:40 / #
Have a look here: http://www.polishforums.com/plural_zloty-17_24229_0.html Plurals change all the time, for no obvious reason to the English speaker.

scrivomcdivoThreads: 5 Posts: 8 Joined: Oct 10, 08	Oct 15, 08, 11:24 / #
Thanks for the link Osiol

?????	Oct 15, 08, 12:08 / #
scrivomcdivo: Why do the endings on the word "Złoty" change depending on the amount? Does this apply to other plurals too or just the word "Złoty"? "Złoty" is a noun that belongs to the group of nouns called "męskożywotne" (animate masculine) they have similar declension rules as adjectives and yes it applies to other nouns in plural form as well. Singular Plural Nominative złoty złote Genitive złotego złotych Dative złotemu złotym Accusative złotego złote Instrumental złotym złotymi Locative złotym złotych Vocative złoty złote osiol: Plurals change all the time, for no obvious reason to the English speaker. For the numbers 2, 3 and 4 you ask the question "co" (mam dwa co?) = Nominative Plural “złote" While 5, 6, etc. and the whole numbers ask the question "czego" (mam pięć czego?) = Genitive Plural "złotych" (so there is a method to this madness)

scrivomcdivoThreads: 5 Posts: 8 Joined: Oct 10, 08	Oct 15, 08, 15:16 / #
?????: ask the question "czego" That was going to be my next question, what is the difference between "Czego" and "Co"?

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Oct 17, 08, 11:24 / #
The difference between "Czego?" and "Co?" looks transparent enough: The first responds to the genitive (possessive) case,, e.g. 'Czego szukasz?' = What are you looking for? (lit. "Of what you search?"), the second is both nominative (the naming case) or accusative (direct object), except with masculine animate nouns. e.g. 'Co to jest?' - To jest książka. = What's that? - It's a book. or: 'Co pan widzie? - Widzę ten nowy budynek. = What do you see (formal)? - I see that new building..... Not even gonna touch Polish aspectual distinctions here between 'to see' vs. 'to look at' etc. For a whole 'nother post-:) From here though, it gets even hairier than German, since practically NOTHING in Polish cases seems to correspond with English (or even German)!

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Oct 17, 08, 11:39 / #
Marek: "Czego?" and "Co?" there is also a thing of note here, if someone tries to get your attention then asnwering: co? is not elegant czego? is rude

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Oct 17, 08, 11:48 / #
No, Darius. You're confusing two different issues now. 'Co?' does of course also mean 'What?' in the Anglo-American sense of 'Huh?', rather than 'Pardon me?', 'I didn't catch that!' and so forth, which is more polite. This distinction though has nothing to do with 'czego?' being a more "polite" form!! For example: Szukam tego nowego romana od Różiewicza. - Proszę? Czego pani szuka? = I'm looking for that new novel of Różiewicz. - Sorry? What are you looking for? The polite form of 'Co?', which is often colloquial Polish, would be 'Proszę?', sometimes even 'Słucham?', usually on the phone.

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Edited by: osiol Oct 17, 08, 12:21 / #
z_darius: co? is not elegant czego? is rude Marek: be 'Proszę?', sometimes even 'Słucham?' My former flatmate used to answer the phone with a very rude-sounding "Co?" almost every time. I told him that it sounded impolite, but he told me that there was nothing wrong with it and that it's perfectly normal. I would never answer the phone with just the word "What?". "If you say 'Co?' when answering the phone to me, I'll just hang up. Sluchasz?"

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Oct 17, 08, 12:25 / #
Osiol, It's more similar to German 'Bitte?' vs. 'Was?' The latter isn't grammatically "wrong", it just sounds rude, again cf. 'Sorry?/Pardon me?' vs. 'Huh?'/What?' in English. I heard in our local Polish booknook, 'Lipiński, słucham!', whenever the owner/manager picked up the phone as clients called in. Figure though, he's just one of those super-polite older Poles.-:)

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Edited by: Marek Oct 17, 08, 12:31 / #
On the whole, I find the English, superficially at least, far better mannered both on the phone as well as elsewhere, than your run-of-the-mill Yank. English-speaking Canadians come in a close second-:)

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Oct 18, 08, 07:22 / #
Well then, I learned something (...for a change!!!) Cheers, mate

KrzysztofThreads: 2 Posts: 1,146 Joined: Jul 26, 07	Oct 28, 08, 13:52 / #
1 Dollar = 1 dolar 2,3,4 Dollars = 2,3,4 dolary 5 and over Dollards = 5 dolarów 1 Pound = 1 funt 2,3,4 Pounds = 2,3,4 funty 5 and over Pounds = 5 funtów

polock	May 7, 09, 14:35 / #
1 dollar – 1 dolar 2 dollars – 2 dolary 3 dollars – 3 dolary 4 dollars – 4 dolary 5 dollars – 5 dolarów 6 dollars – 6 dolarów 7 dollars – 7 dolarów 8 dollars – 8 dolarów 9 dollars – 9 dolarów 10 dollars – 10 dolarów 11 dollars – 11 dolarów 12 dollars – 12 dolarów 13 dollars – 13 dolarów 14 dollars – 14 dolarów 15 dollars – 15 dolarów 16 dollars – 16 dolarów 17 dollars – 17 dolarów 18 dollars – 18 dolarów 19 dollars – 19 dolarów 20 dollars – 20 dolarów 21 dollars – 21 dolarów 22 dollars – 22 dolary 23 dollars – 23 dolary 24 dollars – 24 dolary 25 dollars – 25 dolarów 26 dollars – 26 dolarów 27 dollars – 27 dolarów 28 dollars – 28 dolarów 29 dollars – 29 dolarów 30 dollars – 30 dolarów

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Oct 17, 08, 12:28 / #
I knew that it's a question of politeness rather than grammar. I'm usually polite, especially on the phone.

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Oct 17, 08, 12:35 / #
Dzień dobry. Słucham. Co **** chcesz?*

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Oct 17, 08, 12:37 / #
Slam (....goes the receiver!!!).......

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Oct 17, 08, 12:43 / #
There was just a little crackle on the line, that's all!

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Oct 17, 08, 13:50 / #
Marek: You're confusing two different issues now. 'Co?' does of course also mean 'What?' in the Anglo-American sense of 'Huh?', rather than 'Pardon me?', 'I didn't catch that!' and so forth, which is more polite. This distinction though has nothing to do with 'czego?' being a more "polite" form!! It does. "czego" is rude, not more polite in this context, and is sometimes used instead of "co".

scrivomcdivoThreads: 5 Posts: 8 Joined: Oct 10, 08	Oct 27, 08, 16:19 / #
?????: For the numbers 2, 3 and 4 you ask the question "co" (mam dwa co?) = Nominative Plural “złote" While 5, 6, etc. and the whole numbers ask the question "czego" (mam pięć czego?) = Genitive Plural "złotych" (so there is a method to this madness) With this, can somebody tell me how to write the following then in Polish:- 1 Zloty = złoty 2,3,4 Zloty = 2,3,4 złote 5 and over = 5 złotych 1 Dollar = 1......? 2,3,4 Dollars = ........? 5 and over Dollards = ......? 1 Pound = 1.......? 2,3,4 Pounds = ........? 5 and over Pounds = ......? Many thanks