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A0–A1 · First steps · Lesson 06
Questions & negation
Ask with czy, deny with nie — and watch the object change.
To make a yes/no question, just put czy in front of a statement; the word order stays the same. To negate, put nie right before the verb. The one trick: a negated verb pulls its object from the accusative into the genitive.
| Question word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kto / co | who / what |
| gdzie | where |
| kiedy | when |
| dlaczego | why |
| jak | how |
| ile | how much / many |
- •czy + statement makes a yes/no question.
- •nie goes directly before the verb: Nie wiem.
- •Mam czas → Nie mam czasu (object → genitive).
Quick check
How do you make a yes/no question?
czy + a statement makes a yes/no question.
Negate: 'Mam czas' → 'Nie mam ___.'
A negated object becomes genitive.
Practice
Now produce the answers yourself — type them, choose the form, or build the sentence.
Make a yes/no question: '___ masz czas?'
czy + statement.
Nie mam ___ . (czas)
negation → genitive.
Nie ___ kawy. (lubić — ja)
nie goes before the verb.
Say: I don't know.
Build the sentence — tap the words in order:
What this lesson covered
This lesson covered two everyday tools: asking questions and making things negative. To turn a statement into a yes/no question, simply add czy at the front — czy masz czas? (do you have time?). To negate, place nie before the verb — nie wiem (I don't know). Polish also uses double negation, which feels wrong to English speakers but is correct here: nic nie rozumiem (literally “nothing I-don't-understand”) and nikt nie przyszedł (nobody came). One important knock-on effect is that a negated verb changes its object to the genitive case: mam czas becomes nie mam czasu. You don't need to master that shift yet, but noticing it now prepares you for the cases lessons. With czy, nie, and the negatives nic, nikt and nigdy, you can already ask and refuse across most everyday situations.