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Lesson 9A1

Numbers 11–100

Numbers 11–100

Beyond ten, Polish numbers combine as separate words rather than fusing together, and they hide a distinctive Slavic quirk worth knowing about even before you learn the full rule.

Grammar Comparison

Grammar Comparison

Compound Numbers Stay as Separate Words

Polish

dwadzieścia jeden

English

twenty-one

Unlike some languages that fuse compound numbers into a single word, Polish simply places them side by side: dwadzieścia jeden (twenty one), trzydzieści osiem (thirty eight). This makes compound numbers easier to read than in languages that squash them together, since each part keeps its own familiar shape.

Numbers Change the Noun That Follows

Polish

dwie książki, pięć książek

English

two books, five books

In Polish, the number itself decides what form the counted noun takes: 1 pairs with the plain singular, 2–4 trigger one special plural form, and 5 and up trigger a different one entirely (5 książek looks quite different from 2 książki). This is a hallmark feature of Slavic languages — you don't need to master it yet, but it's worth knowing it's coming as you see more example sentences.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

jedenaścieyeh-deh-NAHSH-cheh
English
eleven
dwanaściedvah-NAHSH-cheh
English
twelve
trzynaścietshih-NAHSH-cheh
English
thirteen
czternaściechter-NAHSH-cheh
English
fourteen
piętnaściepyent-NAHSH-cheh
English
fifteen
dwadzieściadvah-JESH-chah
English
twenty
trzydzieścitshih-JESH-chee
English
thirty
czterdzieścichter-JESH-chee
English
forty
pięćdziesiątpyen-JEH-shownt
English
fifty
stostoh
English
one hundred
dwadzieścia jedendvah-JESH-chah YEH-den
English
twenty-one
dwadzieścia osiemdvah-JESH-chah OH-shyem
English
twenty-eight