How long does it take to reach A1 in Polish?

My A1 course has 34 hours of video (Part 1 and Part 2 together), plus exercises and revision. Studying 3–5 hours a week, most students complete one level in about 4–6 months – it depends on how often you revise and whether Polish is your first foreign language.

Which course covers the A1 level?

A1 Part 1 (22 hours of video) and A1 Part 2 (12 hours) cover the whole A1 level – everything listed in this article. You can also take both parts together as the A1 bundle.

A2, the upper beginner level: all seven cases in singular and plural, the conditional, dates, comparisons and much more vocabulary. Read what you need to know at the A2 level or go straight to the A2 course.

A1 Polish Level: What You Need to Know as a Beginner

A1 is the first official level of Polish on the CEFR scale – the point where you stop collecting random words and start using the language. This guide lists what a beginner (A1) Polish course should teach you, category by category: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, numerals, cases, verbs and adverbs. Already past the basics? Use it as a checklist before you move on to A2.

In short

At A1 you can introduce yourself, ask and answer simple questions about where you live, what you do and what you like, order food, shop and ask for directions – as long as people speak slowly and clearly (the CEFR “can-do” description of A1). In grammar terms that means five cases, the present, past and future tenses and the most common verbs. My A1 course covers the whole level in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

What should an A1 level Polish course cover?

An A1 Polish course should cover the five cases you meet most often – Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, Instrumental and Locative – in the singular and the basic plural, personal, possessive and demonstrative pronouns, adjective endings, the first numerals, the present, past and future tenses, the imperative and the most common verbs of movement, plus the adverbs made from adjectives. If you have started with apps like Duolingo, you probably know many nouns already – here is the full breakdown by category.

Nouns at A1 level in Polish

Declension of nouns in the singular (Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, Instrumental, Locative) and the plural (Nominative non-masculine, Instrumental, Locative):

Masculine nouns ending in a consonant like: student and those ending in -a, like kolega, tata, programista
Feminine nouns ending in -a, -i: studentka, mama, pani and those ending in a consonant like noc, rzecz (functional use only)
Neuter nouns ending in -o, -e, -um like: okno, piwo, zadanie, centrum
Irregular nouns like: dziecko, tydzień
Alternations of vowels and consonants in the stem, e.g. pies – psa, miasto – w mieście

Pronouns at A1 level in Polish

Unless stated otherwise, you learn these pronouns in the singular (Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, Instrumental, Locative) and the plural (Nominative non-masculine, Instrumental, Locative):

Personal pronouns in all cases (the Dative only in functional uses): ja, ty, on, ona, ono, my, wy, oni, one, państwo, pan, pani
Demonstrative pronouns like ten, ta, to
Possessive pronouns like: mój, moja, moje, twój, twoja, twoje, nasz, nasza, nasze, wasz, wasza, wasze
Interrogative pronouns: Kto? Co? (singular only) as well as Jaki? Jaka? Jakie?
The interrogative pronouns Który? Która? Które? and Czyj? Czyja? Czyje? only in the Nominative singular and the Nominative plural non-masculine.

Adjectives and numerals at A1 level in Polish

Declension of adjectives in the singular (Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, Instrumental, Locative) and the plural (Nominative non-masculine, Instrumental, Locative):

Masculine adjectives ending in -y like: piękny, zdrowy, mały, duży and those ending in -i like: tani, polski, głupi
Feminine adjectives ending in -a like: zdrowa, piękna, mała
Neuter adjectives ending in -e like: piękne, zdrowe, małe, duże

Declension of numerals:

Cardinal numerals in the Nominative: jeden, jedna, jedno, dwa
Ordinal numerals, declined like adjectives: pierwszy, pierwsza, pierwsze

Cases you need to know at A1 level in Polish

Cases are where most beginners get stuck, and theory alone won’t get you through them – you need plenty of listening practice. (New to the idea of cases? Start with my Polish cases chart and simple guide.) At A1 you need five cases:

Nominative Case

Singular and Plural (non-masculine)

When it has a functional subject like: Kucharz gotuje zupę.
When it has a function of predication like: Mój tata to lekarz.

Genitive Case

Singular:

Direct object after the negated verbs: Nie piję kawy.
Genitive as a direct object: Słucham muzyki, Szukam masła, Potrzebuję koperty
After verbs that take the Genitive: Uczę się języka polskiego
Genitive as an affiliation: To jest samochód mamy.
Genitive in measures and quantity: Piję kieliszek wina.
After the prepositions: u, z(e), dla, do, od(e), obok, bez(e) like: Poproszę pierogi bez cebuli. Jadę z Wrocławia do Gdańska.
Forms: Nie ma, nie było, nie będzie like: Nie ma mleka.
Indefinite numerals: Mamy dużo czasu.

Plural:

After cardinal numerals from 5 up: Mam 36 lat. (After 2–4 and 22–24 the noun is not in the Genitive: Mam 22 lata.)

Accusative Case

At A1 I teach the singular and the non-masculine plural forms:

As a direct object: Kupuję pomidory, Czytam książkę
After the prepositions: na, po, w(e), za:Idę na zakupy, Jadę na lekcję polskiego

Instrumental Case

Both singular and plural.

To describe a person after the verb “To Be” (Być): Ania jest studentką, Oni są rolnikami, On jest prawnikiem
After verbs such as interesować się: Interesuję się tańcem, filmem.
Means of transport: Jadę taksówką, a mama jedzie pociągiem.
After the prepositions: z(e), za, nad(e), pod(e), przed(e), między: Książka jest pod stołem, Lustro wisi nad zlewem.

Locative Case

Both singular and plural.

After prepositions indicating a place like: na, w(e), przy: Talerz stoi na stole, Stół jest przy ścianie, Mieszkam we Władysławowie
After prepositions indicating time of the activity: w, po, o: Będę we Wrocławiu w przyszłym tygodniu, Pociąg jest o osiemnastej
After prepositions indicating month or year: Moje studia zaczynają się w październiku.
After prepositions indicating an object: Myślę o szkole.

What verbs do you need to know to be A1 in Polish?

You can’t say much in Polish without verbs. At A1 you need these verbs and forms:

Infinitives: czytać, pisać, lubić, kupować, pić, jeść
Verbs and the cases they take: Słuchać muzyki, Czytać książkę, Pisać długopisem, Interesować się sztuką
The Present, the Past, and the Future tenses & Imperative: Proszę czytać! (+functional imperatives like Jedz, Tańcz!)
The conjugations: -ę, -esz like piszę, piszesz / -ę, -isz/-ysz like uczę się, uczysz się / -am, -asz like czytam, czytasz / -em, -esz like wiem, wiesz
The perfective and imperfective verbs like: kupić/kupować, czytać/przeczytać
Functional conditional: Chciałabym kupić to wino. Chciałbym zarezerwować pokój.
The verbs of movement: iść/chodzić, jechać/jeździć and pójść:Jadę samochodem, Chodzę do kina 2 razy w tygodniu. Mama jeździ na snowboardzie.

Let’s not forget about Polish adverbs!

At A1 you also learn to build new words from ones you already know:

Adverbs formed from adjectives: ładny → ładnie, dobry → dobrze
Functional use of adjectives made of countries’ names: Polska → polski

Conclusion

Reaching A1 in Polish is a big win. With noun endings, pronouns, adjectives, numerals and the first five cases in place, you can handle simple everyday conversations, say what you like and need, and understand short, clear written and spoken Polish. Already past the basics? See what you need to know at the A2 level.

Ready to boost your Polish skills?

My course “Zero to Hero” has two parts, A1 Part 1 and A1 Part 2 – or take both parts together as the A1 bundle. Not sure where to start? Take the free level test, or compare every online Polish course for beginners from A1 to B1.

What Do You Need to Know in Polish at the Beginner Level (A1)?