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Lesson 3A1

Numbers 0–10

Numbers 0–10

The first ten numbers show up constantly — ages, prices, phone numbers, quantities — and they set up the pattern the rest of the number system builds on.

Grammar Comparison

Grammar Comparison

jeden Changes Like an Adjective

Polish

jeden, jedna, jedno

English

one

Unlike the other numbers, 'one' agrees with the gender of the noun it counts: jeden dom (one house, masculine), jedna książka (one book, feminine), jedno okno (one window, neuter). From two onward, the number itself stays the same regardless of gender — jeden is the only number you have to match to what you're counting.

Age Uses 'To Have', Not 'To Be'

Polish

Mam dwadzieścia lat.

English

I am twenty years old.

Literally, this sentence says 'I have twenty years' — Polish expresses age with mieć (to have), never być (to be). Saying 'Jestem dwadzieścia lat' to mean 'I am 20' is a direct but incorrect translation from English; native speakers always reach for mieć here.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

zeroZEH-roh
English
zero
jedenYEH-den
English
one
dwadvah
English
two
trzytshih
English
three
czteryCHTEH-rih
English
four
pięćpyenych
English
five
sześćshehshch
English
six
siedemSHYEH-dem
English
seven
osiemOH-shyem
English
eight
dziewięćJEH-vyenych
English
nine
dziesięćJEH-shyenych
English
ten
Ile masz lat?EE-leh mahsh laht
English
How old are you?