The Genitive Case: Possession, Absence, and More
The Genitive case indicates possession (like 'of' or 's), absence (with bez - without), origin (with z/ze - from), or location at/having ('at' or 'have' with ù). Its primary role is showing belonging or relation, or being required by certain prepositions.
Nouns: Endings vary based on gender and hard/soft stem.
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: hard -a or -u, soft -a or -u. (e.g., dom brata - brother's house, knéga ùczëcéla - teacher's book, wòkno sélka - small village window, cwiôt pòla - field flower, cëkru - sugar, sniegu - snow)
- Singular Feminine: ending -ë or -i. (e.g., knéga sostrë - sister's book, głos zemii - voice of the land)
- Plural (all genders): Various endings, often -ów or -ew (masculine), or a zero ending (feminine and neuter). (e.g., domë bratów - brothers' houses, knédżi ùczëcélew - teachers' books, knédżi białk∅ - women's books, wòkna séł∅ - small village windows)
Adjectives:
- Singular (all genders): hard -égò, soft -égò. (e.g., dom dobrégò brata - house of a good brother, knéga nowi ùczëcélczi - book of a new female teacher, wòkno juńdzégò sélka - window of a different small village)
- Plural (all genders): hard/soft -ich. (e.g., domë dobrich bratów - houses of good brothers, knédżi juńdzich ùczëcélew - books of different teachers)
Prepositions: Used after bez (without), z/ze (from), ù (at/by/have), and others like do (to/until), òd (from).
Examples: To je robòta mòjégò òjca (This is my father's work). Jô jãm z gardu (I am from the city). Ù mie je zegar (I have a watch - literally "At me there is a watch"). Òni jidą bez wòdë (They are going without water). Widza jem wiele pòknich białków (I saw many beautiful women).