Narzeczony

Narzeczony is a Polish noun meaning “fiancé” in the masculine form; the feminine counterpart is narzeczona. The word originates from the verb narzeczyć, which means “to promise” or “to betroth.” In daily speech, narzeczony refers to a man engaged to be married. In common usage it can also describe a committed relationship that has not yet culminated in marriage, regardless of gender, though strictly it denotes the male participant.

The term is a common noun and follows the typical grammatical declension patterns of masculine nouns. It is declined in the singular as: narzeczony, narzeczonego, narzeczonemu, narzeczonem, narzeczony. In the plural the forms are narzeczeni, narzeczonych, narzeczonymu, narzeczonych, narzeczonych. The adjective form narzeczony can agree with a noun, for example “narzeczony plan” (engaged plan).

In legal and ceremonial contexts, the status of being narzeczony may be recorded in civil documents, and it is often mentioned in invitation cards as “Narzeczony” alongside “Pani” or “Prosię”. The word is unrelated to the adjective meaning “golden” or “branded”; these meanings belong to different roots.

Because Polish nouns have grammatical gender, using narzeczony imposes a masculine gender, whereas narzeczona is used for women. The distinction is important in pronoun agreement and adjective modification. The word is ubiquitous in Polish literature, newspapers, and everyday talk about relationships, providing a precise way to denote commitment that precedes marriage.