polski · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Numbers 0–100
Use number words for prices, ages, addresses, and time.
Understand the choice
Polish counting changes both number words and the counted noun. Begin with prices and ages, noticing złote after 2–4 but złotych after 5 and rok/lata/lat across age expressions.
Core rule: Numbers govern different noun forms; 2–4 normally take nominative plural, while 5+ take genitive plural.
Notice it in context
Bilet kosztuje dwadzieścia cztery złote.
The ticket costs twenty-four złoty.
Dwadzieścia cztery is two words; złote follows a number ending in four (except teens).
Moja babcia ma siedemdziesiąt jeden lat.
My grandmother is seventy-one years old.
Age uses mieć; numbers above four take genitive plural lat.
Kawa kosztuje trzydzieści złotych, a herbata czterdzieści.
Coffee costs thirty złoty, and tea forty.
Trzydzieści and czterdzieści both trigger genitive plural złotych; the repeated noun can be omitted.
What to remember
- Teen numbers such as czternaście take the 5+ pattern: czternaście złotych.
- Jeden agrees with a noun when used adjectivally: jedna kawa.
Common trap: Do not use one noun form after every number.