Little Polish words

A thing that most people might find amazing about the Polish language is that it’s very rich in diminutive forms of the words.

If you aren’t sure what these are, here’s an example in the English language:

• Dog → Doggie (diminutive form)

In Polish language there are a lot of words like that. For example the Polish word “kot” which means “cat”, could be transformed into:

kot → kotek, koteczek, kociak, kociaczek

A backpack carried by a little child on a way to school might be referred to as:

plecak → plecaczek

The Polish parliament (sejm) could be:

sejm → sejmik, sejmiczek

These forms sound very cute and pretty, and usually they are very emotionally charged. You could use them if you really like something, you feel close to something, or you just think something is indeed small and cute. You could also use them as a form of sarcasm or irony.

The hard part for people learning Polish is that there are really no set rules for how to create these words. There are usually multiple ways to create diminutive forms, and you can usually convert any Polish noun at will (yes, even the “bad” ones!). You just have to “feel the language” to get it right.

It might really be one of the most beautiful things about the Polish language.