braku

Brak is a Polish noun that denotes absence, lack, or shortage. It is used to describe the nonexistence or insufficiency of something, appearing in both everyday speech and more formal writing. Common examples include brak wody (lack of water), brak danych (absence of data), and brak prądu (power outage). The impersonal verb form brakuje is often used to say that something is missing for someone, as in Brakuje mi czasu (I lack time).

In terms of grammar, brak is typically used with a genitive object, in constructions such as brak czegoś (lack of something). The singular form is brak and the plural form is braki, meaning deficiencies or shortages. The genitive plural is braków, used in phrases like braki w systemie (deficiencies in the system). Brak is masculine and declines accordingly, with common collocations across various registers, from media to official reports.

Common contexts and collocations include brak pieniędzy (lack of money), brak informacji (lack of information), brak pracy (unemployment—lack of work), and braki kadrowe (staff shortages). In more formal language, synonyms such as niedostatek (shortage) or deficyt (deficit) may be used, depending on nuance and register. Antonyms include obecność (presence) and dostępność (availability). The word brakuje is a versatile, widely used form for expressing that something is missing, both in concrete situations and in abstract discussions about resources, data, or time.