Szóstym

Szóstym is the instrumental and locative singular form of the Polish ordinal adjective szósty, meaning the sixth. It is used to express an ordinal position in contexts that require the instrumental or locative case, typically with masculine or neuter nouns. For example, you can find szóstym in phrases such as w szóstym rozdziale (in the sixth chapter) or na szóstym miejscu (in the sixth place).

Morphology and etymology: szósty is derived from the numeral sześć (six) with the customary adjectival suffix in Polish. The form szóstym is shared by the masculine and neuter singular instrumental and locative cases, while feminine forms differ (for example, szósta in nominative, szóstą in accusative, szóstej in genitive/locative). This overlap in szóstym reflects Polish inflection patterns for adjectives agreeing with gender and case.

Usage notes: Szóstym is most commonly encountered with masculine or neuter nouns in instrumental or locative constructions. It appears in formal or literary contexts as well as everyday speech, including temporal or spatial phrases like w szóstym roku (in the sixth year) or na szóstym miejscu (in the sixth place). The form helps maintain grammatical concord when describing order, rank, or sequence within these cases.

See also: szósty, the base form of the ordinal adjective; related ordinal forms in Polish for other positions (pierwszy, drugi, trzeci, etc.).