35 Comments
Duolingo has their priorities set straight. One of the first words you learn is "cookies".
Oni is masculine plural (men only or a group of women including at least one man) while one is feminine plural (women only). If you are familiar with Spanish and French, it's like ellos/ellas in Spanish and ils/elles in French. Hope it was clear.
In English is be universal "they". In Polish is be "oni" (men or men&women) and "one" (always women).
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Yes, but only when group is mixed - male and female. Something like guys in English
Why not "ciastka" for cookies? Isn't "ciasteczka" a small cookie...diminutive?
To my non native-English ear biscuit seems to be only one type of a cookie, and it translates to "herbatnik". But I don't have enough knowledge about how natives from different parts of world call cookies.
Anyway, "ciastka/ciasteczka" is the umbrella term for different types of them in Polish.
"that takes the biscuit"
Biscuit is a wonderful word
which can be an interesting challenge to translate into any language
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=take%20the%20biscuit
but how is ciasteczka plural???? i do not understand?? is this not nominative?
Firstly: not here, although it looks the same. Secondly: I'm confused, why wouldn't plural have Nominative?
And as for ddziaduch's answer - it's correct, although these are two different words :D I'd prefer using "ciastko" for a cookie, "ciasteczko" is a diminutive and this choice of the course creators always surprises me.
So singular: ciastko / ciasteczko
Plural: ciastka / ciasteczka
What is the Polish for one cookie? for a plural number of cookies? for one cake?
for a plural number of cakes?
They all seem to be the same !
Jedno ciastko - One cookie (or "ciasteczko" as diminutive). As plural: Ciastka - cookies (or "ciasteczka") Dwa ciastka - two cookies (diminutive like up) Dwanaście ciastek - twelve cookies ("ciasteczek") or more... Polish language has a lot exceptions but all of them become simple with practice. When you speak about one cookie - you can use "Ciastko". When more then one cookie - "Ciastka" (when amount of cookies is not specify)
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Jedno ciastko - one cookie.
Dwa ciastka - two cookies.
Trzy ciastka - three cookies.
Cztery ciastka - four cookies.
Pięć ciastek - five cookies - this is different.
Sześć ciastek - six cookies.
Siedem ciastek - seven cookies.
Osiem ciastek - eight cookies.
Dziewięć ciastek - nine cookies.
Dziesięć ciastek - ten cookies.
And all upper numbers are "ciastek".
No, not exactly like that.
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Numeral 1 takes the Nominative singular, and the form of the numeral has to agree with the gender of the noun:
1 cookie = jedno ciastko (n.), 1 book = jedna książka(f.), 1 house = jeden dom (m.imp.) 1 man = jeden mężczyzna (m.pers.).
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Numerals 2, 3, 4 and compund numerlas from 22 up, ending with 2, 3 or 4 take the Nominative plural, and the form of the numeral has to agree with the gender of the noun:
2 cookies = dwa ciastka (n.), 2 books = dwie książki (f.), 2 houses = dwa domy (m.imp.), 2 men = dwaj mężczyźni (m.pers.) 22 cookies = dwadzieścia dwa ciastka, 22 books = dwadzieścia dwie książki, 22 houses = dwadzieścia dwa domy 154 cookies = sto pięćdziesiąt cztery ciastka, 154 books = sto pięćdziesiąt cztery książki (f.), 154 houses = sto pięćdziesiąt cztery domy (m.imp.), 154 men = stu pięćdziesięciu czterech mężczyzn (m.pers.)
- Numerals 5 to 19 and compund numerlas from 25 up, ending with 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 0 take the Genitive plural:
5 cookies = pięć ciastek, 8 cookies = osiem ciastek, 10 cookies = dziesięć ciastek, 18 cookies = osiemnaście ciastek, 25 cookies = dwadzieścia pięć ciastek,
26 cookies = dwadzieścia sześć ciastek, 37 cookies = trzydzieści siedem ciastek, 148 cookies = sto czterdzieści osiem ciastek, 200 cookies = dwieście ciastek - Compound numerals ending with 1 always end with "jeden", no matter what is the gender of the noun, and take the Genitive plural:
21 cookies = dwadzieścia jeden ciastek (n.), 21 women = dwadzieścia jeden kobiet (f.), 21 houses = dwadzieścia jeden domów (m.imp.), 21 men = dwudziestu jeden mężczyzn (m.pers.)
However there cases when collective numbers have to be used (eg. when counting people or animals), or things get otherwise complicated. I'd rather suggest to consult a manual in these cases, eg. Polish Grammar in a Nutshell by Oscar E. Swan, and other sources like Poradnia PWN, see. eg. 1, 2, 3, 4.
Someone who knows American and British English please: In British English a biscuit is normally hard and crisp; a cake is soft and crumbly. I thought cookie meant biscuit is it also cake?
Cookie is not a cake. Cake in polish "Ciasto", biscuit is (probably) "biszkopt" or "herbatnik" (?).
In colloquial speech it's possible but sounds not good. Better is "Oni mają ciasteczka?" or "Oni mają jakieś ciasteczka?"
Let's just eat our cookies and enjoy them. Baking is my hobby and I make 5 dozen at a time of several different kinds. My signature is cranberry orange, my own recipe as there was none I cared for. Incidentally how do you say cranberry in Polish?
