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Umierać Conjugation

umierać means "to die" in Polish. Present (imperfective): ja umieram, ty umierasz, on / ona / ono (also pan / pani) umiera, my umieramy, wy (also państwo) umieracie, oni / one umierają. Below: all 26 tenses we teach, with examples.

Present (imperfective) Czas teraźniejszy

Formed only from imperfective verbs: stem + personal endings. It covers both the simple present and the English present continuous ("I am reading" = czytam), so Polish has no separate continuous tense; the pattern is set by the conjugation class.

Past (imperfective) Czas przeszły niedokonany

Past stem (infinitive minus -ć, plus -ł-) + gender and number endings; the person is shown by the clitic ending (-em, -eś, -śmy, -ście) which can also attach to a preceding word. Forms are given masculine / feminine (/ neuter in the 3rd singular); plural is virile (men or mixed) / non-virile. It names an ongoing, repeated or background action and also does the work of the imperfect and the past continuous.

Past (perfective) Czas przeszły dokonany

Same endings as the imperfective past, added to the perfective verb (usually prefixed: prze-czytać, z-robić). It presents the action as one completed whole with a result, and translates the English simple past of a finished action or the present perfect.

Pluperfect (literary) Czas zaprzeszły

Past form + the past of być (był, była, było): "czytałem był". Archaic and literary; in modern Polish the ordinary past is used with context or with wcześniej / już, and this tense survives only in old texts and some stylised prose.

Compound future (będę + past form) Czas przyszły złożony (z formą czasu przeszłego)

Future of być + the l-form of the imperfective verb, agreeing in gender and number: "będę czytał / czytała". Used for ongoing or repeated future action. The two compound-future types are interchangeable in meaning; the l-form version is more common in speech with a stated subject.

Compound future (będę + infinitive) Czas przyszły złożony (z bezokolicznikiem)

Future of być + the imperfective infinitive; no gender agreement: "będę czytać". Equivalent to the previous tense and usual when the verb comes first or the speaker is unspecified.

Simple future (perfective) Czas przyszły prosty

Perfective verbs have no present: their present-tense endings give the future, so "przeczytam" means "I will have read / finish reading". Used for single completed future actions, promises and decisions.

Conditional (imperfective) Tryb przypuszczający

Past l-form + the conditional particle -by with the person clitic (-bym, -byś, -by, -byśmy, -byście, -by); the clitic can detach (ja bym czytał). Used for "would" statements, polite requests, advice and unreal conditions after gdyby; it does not change with time.

Conditional (perfective) Tryb przypuszczający dokonany

The same construction with a perfective verb, for a single completed hypothetical action: "zrobiłbym" = I would do it (once).

Past conditional (literary) Tryb przypuszczający przeszły

Conditional of być (byłbym...) + the l-form: "byłbym czytał". Literary and bookish; in speech and ordinary writing the plain conditional with a past marker (wtedy, wczoraj, gdybym był wiedział...) is used instead.

Subjunctive-type clause with żeby / aby Tryb przypuszczający w zdaniu podrzędnym

Conjunction żeby (or formal aby, by) + l-form with the person clitic. Required after verbs of wanting, ordering, asking, advising, and after "in order to" with a different subject; it has one form for all time references.

Hypothetical clause with gdyby Tryb warunkowy

Gdyby (= gdy + by) + l-form, used in the "if" clause of unreal conditions and in the result clause with the plain conditional: "Gdybym był bogaty, kupiłbym dom."

Wish with oby Tryb życzący

Oby + l-form with clitic expresses a hopeful wish ("may..." / "I hope..."). Often with a perfective verb for a wished-for event. Formal or emotional.

Imperative (affirmative, imperfective) Tryb rozkazujący

2nd singular = present stem without ending (czytaj, rób, buduj); 1st plural adds -my, 2nd plural -cie. There is no 3rd person: niech + 3rd person present gives "let him / her / them". Imperfective for ongoing, repeated or general commands.

Imperative (affirmative, perfective) Tryb rozkazujący dokonany

The perfective verb gives a single, one-time command with a result (zrób to = do it now, once). Same endings; 3rd person with niech + perfective present.

Imperative (negative) Tryb rozkazujący przeczący

Negative commands use nie + the imperfective imperative; perfective verbs are not normally used, except in warnings ("nie zapomnij!").

Impersonal with "się" (present) Konstrukcja bezosobowa z „się”

3rd person singular + się, no subject: "Tu się czyta." = one reads here, it is read here. Imperfective only. Common in everyday statements of general practice.

Impersonal with "się" (past) Konstrukcja bezosobowa z „się” (przeszła)

3rd person singular neuter past + się: "czytało się".

Impersonal with "się" (future) Konstrukcja bezosobowa z „się” (przyszła)

będzie się + infinitive.

Impersonal -no / -to (imperfective) Forma bezosobowa na -no, -to

A past impersonal ending in -no (or -to after a vowel stem: pito, myto, zaczęto), with no subject: "czytano". Formal, journalistic and historical style; the agent is not named.

Infinitive (imperfective) Bezokolicznik

Dictionary form ending in -ć (rarely -c, -ść).

Infinitive (perfective) Bezokolicznik dokonany

Usually formed with a prefix or suffix change; used after verbs like chcieć, móc, zdążyć for one completed action.

Present active participle (-ący) Imiesłów przymiotnikowy czynny

-ący adjective (agrees in gender, number, case): "czytający człowiek" = a reading person. Bookish; only from imperfective verbs.

Contemporary adverbial participle (-ąc) Imiesłów przysłówkowy współczesny

-ąc: simultaneous action with the same subject as the main verb: "czytając, zasnęła". Imperfective verbs only.

Anterior adverbial participle (-wszy / -łszy, literary) Imiesłów przysłówkowy uprzedni

-wszy (after a vowel) or -łszy (after a consonant): an earlier action with the same subject, "Przeczytawszy list, wyszedł." Literary and formal; from perfective verbs.

Verbal noun (-nie / -cie) Rzeczownik odczasownikowy

-nie (or -cie) neuter noun from the passive participle stem; used like a noun (czytanie = reading).

Examples

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