Trzeci

Trzeci is the Polish masculine singular form of the ordinal numeral meaning "third." It is used to indicate the position of an item in a sequence, such as pierwszy (first), drugi (second), trzeci (third). The word functions as an adjective and thus agrees with the gender and case of the noun it modifies. The feminine form is trzecia, the neuter form is trzecie. Like other Polish ordinals, trzeci declines across cases, with common examples such as trzeci dzień (the third day) and trzeciego dnia (of the third day). It can also be used predicatively, as in On jest trzeci (He is the third).

Etymology and cognates: Trzeci derives from the standard Slavic root for “three” and has cognates in other Slavic languages, for example Russian tretij and Ukrainian tryii. This aligns with similar ordinal forms across the family, reflecting shared historical development.

Usage notes: In Polish, ordinals such as trzeci appear in dates, rankings, and enumerations, and they inflect like adjectives. They may be combined with numeral expressions (e.g., trzeci raz = the third time) and used in both written and spoken Polish.

See also: Polish ordinal numbers, declension of adjectives, grammatical gender in Polish.

Summary: Trzeci is a foundational Polish ordinal used to denote the third position in a sequence, with gendered and case-inflected forms like other Polish adjectives.