The Genitive Case: Possession, Absence, and More
The Genitive case indicates possession (like 'of' or 's), absence (with bez - without), origin (with z - from), or location at/having ('at' or 'have' with pśi). Its primary role is showing belonging or relation, or being required by certain prepositions.
Nouns: Endings vary based on gender, number, and hard/soft stem.
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -a (hard) / -a (soft). (e.g., dom brata - brother's house, knigła wucabnika - teacher's book, wokno města - city window, kwět póla - field flower)
- Singular Feminine: ending -y (hard) / -i (soft). (e.g., knigła sotšy - sister's book, głos zemje - voice of the earth)
- Plural (all genders): Variable, often -ow (masculine and some others) or a zero ending (feminine and neuter). (e.g., dom bratšow - brothers' house, knigła wucabnikow - teachers' book, knigły žonow - women's books, wokna městow - city windows, póla∅ - fields)
Adjectives:
- Singular (all genders): hard -ego, soft -ego. (e.g., dom dobrego brata - house of a good brother, knigła noweje wucabnicy - book of a new teacher, wokno něžnego města - window of the tender city)
- Plural (all genders): hard -ych, soft -ich. (e.g., dom dobrych bratšow - house of good brothers, knigły něžnych wucabnikow - books of tender teachers)
Prepositions: Used after bez (without), z (from), pśi (at/by/have), and others like do (to/until), wót (from).
Examples: To jo źěło mojogo nanśa (This is my father's work). Ja som z města (I am from the city). Pśi mě jo zegark (I have a watch - literally "At me there is a watch"). Wóni jadu bez wódy (They are going without water). Som wiźeł wjele krasnych žonow (I saw many beautiful women).