czasu

Czasu is the genitive singular form of the Polish noun czas, which means time, a period, or a duration. As a core word in Polish, czas is used to discuss temporal concepts in everyday language, science, literature, and media. The genitive plural of czas is czasów, while the nominative singular is czas.

Etymology and related forms: Czas derives from the Proto-Slavic root *časъ, cognate with other Slavic languages’ words for time, such as Russian čas and Czech čas. The term and its derivatives appear across Slavic languages with similar meanings related to time, season, or a particular interval.

Grammatical role and usage: Czasu functions primarily as a genitive form used to indicate possession, quantity, or association with time, particularly after verbs or determiners that require the genitive case. Common constructions include expressions of lacking or needing time, such as nie mam czasu (I don’t have time) and potrzebuję czasu (I need time). It also appears in phrases describing when something occurs, for example, w czasie wakacji (during the holidays) or w czasie pracy (during work time). The word is inflected according to standard Polish declension patterns for masculine inanimate nouns, with czas in the singular and czasy in the plural.

Usage notes: Because czas is a fundamental noun, czasu appears frequently in both spoken and written Polish. Its exact meaning is determined by context, usually aligning with temporal duration, a specific period, or a moment in time. It also serves as a base for compound terms and set expressions involving time.

See also: Czas, Time in Polish, Temporal phrases in Polish.