czyjej

Czyjej is a form of the Polish interrogative possessive pronoun used to ask about ownership. It is the genitive feminine singular form of "czyj" and is used when the possessor is feminine and the possessor term is in the genitive case, typically in sentences built around possession with the copular verb "być" (jest) or in indirect questions.

In Polish, possessive interrogatives decline by gender and case. The form "czyjej" marks feminine possessors in the genitive singular. It is most commonly encountered in sentences where the possessor is expressed in the genitive due to the structure of the clause, for example when the possessor is the object of another element or in indirect questions. The predicate noun remains in the nominative, as in "Czyjej to jest torba?" (Whose bag is this?). The form is somewhat formal or literary; in everyday speech, speakers may prefer direct questions using "czyja" for feminine nouns in the nominative, such as "Czyja to torba?"

Examples help illustrate usage. Czyjej to jest torba? — Whose bag is this? Nie wiem, czyjej to jest torba. — I don’t know whose bag this is. These constructions show how the genitive possessor "czyjej" combines with a nominative subject in the clause marked by "to jest" or similar predicates.

Etymology: czyjej is formed from the base "czyj" with the genitive feminine singular ending, reflecting its role as a possessive interrogative in specific syntactic contexts.

See also: Polish grammar, possessive pronouns, interrogative pronouns.