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Polski vs Polak vs Polsku vs Polska- what's the difference?
Main Post:
So, as always, I'm finding a bit hard to identify when certain similar words are just declinations in different cases of the same word, or when they are something different altogether. I'm finding this particularly hard with these common adjectives related to Polish-ness.
I understand Polski = Polish (in the masculine), for example "jestem polskim chłopakiem". However, I believe it's incorrect to say simply "jestem polskim", and the correct should be "jestem Polakiem"?
And what about "polsku" - is that the name of the Polish language? (example: "czy mówisz po polsku?"). I have a feeling that "polsku" here is a declination, but I'm not sure what the nominative form would be (I thought maybe "polski", but doesn't seem to be the case according to the declination charts I've looked up).
Finally, if I understand correctly, "Polska" is not only the name of the country, but also the feminine form of the adjective "polski", eg "polska kobieta"?
Top Comment: You are right about most things here. Polsku is a declination and it's always used this way for languages when talking about speaking that language. For example, "Mówię po polsku, angielsku i niemiecku" (I speak Polish, English and German). As a native I can't explain why that is the case and you never really use the -ku ending in any other way than talking about the language. Perhaps someone else can explain this better but in general Polsku is what you use when you say "po Polsku" which roughly translates to "in Polish", as in in the Polish language.