Polish/Grouping expressions

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Often we want to group nouns or sentences, to say "X and Y" or "X or Y".

In Polish the usual word for "and" is "i":

• Marta i Basia mają koty - Marta and Basia have cats
• Kobieta je ciastko i pije kawę - woman eats cake and drinks coffee
• Kot jest gruby i czarny - cat is fat and black
• Adam lubi Martę i Basię - Adam likes Marta and Basia

The word "oraz" may also be used to express English "and":

• Basia ma kota oraz psa - Basia has a cat and a dog.

However, you shouldn't use oraz in between adjectives - "Kot jest gruby oraz czarny" doesn't sound very natural.

Other useful words are "z" + instrumental (with) and "bez" (without) + genitive

• Magda z Tomkiem są małżeństwem - Magda and Tomek are married (Tomek in instrumental)
• Magda i Tomek są małżeństwem - Same.
• Dziecko lubi kanapki z serem - The child likes sandwiches with cheese (cheese in instrumental)
• Dziecko lubi kanapki i ser - The child likes sandwiches and cheese (different meaning)
• Kobieta lubi kawę bez cukru - The woman likes coffee without sugar (sugar in genitive)

• małżeństwo - married couple
• kanapka - sandwich
• ser - cheese
• cukier - sugar
• Tomek - popular male name, English Thomas

When you group a few nouns, the result will always be plural, and if any of them was person-masculine, so will the whole expression be.

There are many words for "or" - the most usual is "albo" or "lub" (the same meaning), but "czy" (which usually has a different meaning) may be used for this purpose too.

• Masz kota albo psa ? (or even 'Masz kota lub psa?') - "Do you have a cat or dog ?" Proper answers are "tak" ("yes", if you have either or even both) or "nie" ("no", if you have neither)
• Masz kota czy psa ? - "Do you have a cat, or a dog?", or "Which do you have, cat or dog?". Proper answers are "kota" ("a cat", if you have a cat but not a dog), or "psa" ("a dog", if you have a dog but not a cat). If you have both or neither some more complex answer will be needed. But "tak"/"nie" ("yes"/"no") are not appropriate.
• Marta albo Basia ma kota - Marta or Basia has a cat
• Adam ma kota albo psa - Adam has a cat or a dog
• Dziecko je ciastko albo pije mleko - The child eats cake or drinks milk.

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