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 u). 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: hard/soft -a. (e.g., dom brata - brother's house, ksiůnżka utytela - teacher's book, ôkno pola - field window)
- Singular Feminine: hard -y or -i, soft -i. (e.g., ksiůnżka siostry - sister's book, głos ziymie - voice of the land)
- Plural (all genders): Varies, often -ōw (masculine and some others) or a zero ending (feminine, neuter, some masc). (e.g., domy bratōw - brothers' houses, ksiůnżki utyteli - teachers' books, ksiůnżki bab∅ - women's books, ôkna pol∅ - field windows)
Adjectives:
- Singular (all genders): hard -ego, soft -igo. (e.g., dom dobrego brata - house of a good brother, ksiůnżka nowyj utytelki - book of a new teacher, ôkno inšigo pola - window of a different field)
- Plural (all genders): hard/soft -ych/-ich. (e.g., domy dobrych bratōw - houses of good brothers, ksiůnżki inšich utyteli - books of different teachers)
Prepositions: Used after bez (without), z (from), u (at/by/have), and others like do (to/until), ôd (from).
Examples: To je robota mojego ôjca (This is my father's work). Jo żech je z miasta (I am from the city). U mie je zygarek (I have a watch - literally "At me there is a watch"). Łoni jadům bez wody (They are going without water). Widzioł żech mocka piynknych bab (I saw many beautiful women).