osoby

Osoba is a Polish noun that denotes a human being or an individual. It is a feminine noun with singular form osoba and plural form osoby. The term is used as a neutral reference to a person in everyday language, without specifying gender, age, or role. It commonly appears with demonstratives such as ta osoba (this person) or tamta osoba (that person).

Grammatically, osoba declines like other feminine nouns of the first declension: singular — nominative osoba, genitive osoby, dative osobie, accusative osobę, instrumental osobą, locative osobie; plural — nominative osoby, genitive osób, dative osobom, accusative osoby, instrumental osobami, locative osobach. In practice, the most frequent forms are osob(a) for singular and osoby for plural in the nominative and accusative cases.

In legal and administrative language, the term also appears in fixed expressions: osoba fizyczna (natural person) and osoba prawna (legal entity). In everyday speech, phrases such as nieznana osoba (unknown person) or kilka osób (a few people) are common. The word can be combined with adjectives to describe characteristics or statuses, for example: pierwsza osoba (a first person), wyjątowe osoby (special persons) in specific contexts.

Etymology and cognates: osoba is of Slavic origin, with cognates in other West Slavic languages, notably Czech osoba and Slovak osôba. While meanings align closely, nuances in usage can vary by language and legal framework.

See also: człowiek, osoba prawna.