kolejne

Kolejne is a Polish adjective meaning “the next” or “subsequent.” It is used to indicate items or events that follow in a sequence, in time or order, and it typically accompanies a noun to express progression. Like other Polish adjectives, it agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case.

Origin and forms: Kolejny derives from the noun kolej (order, sequence) with a standard adjectival suffix. The form kolejny is used with masculine singular nouns, kolejna with feminine singular, and kolejne with neuter singular or with plural nouns in certain contexts. Kolejni is the form used for masculine personal plural. In everyday usage, kolejne is commonly seen with feminine plural and many neuter plural nouns, for example kolejne dni, kolejne lata, kolejne kroki, though the exact form changes to match the noun.

Usage and nuance: Kolejne is widely used in journalism, reports, and conversation to describe progression, continuation, or what comes after. It often conveys a sense of sequence without implying immediate succession, unlike następujący or następny, which can have slightly different emphases. For example, kolejne lata przyniosły nowe wyzwania (the following years brought new challenges) vs następny rok (the next year, with a sense of immediacy in the sequence).

See also: kolejność (order, sequence), kolejka (queue, line), następny (next).

Notes: The exact inflected form of kolejne depends on the noun it modifies, reflecting standard Polish agreement rules for adjectives.