pierwszy

Pierwszy is a Polish adjective and ordinal numeral meaning the first or earliest in a sequence. It is used to indicate order or priority and appears in everyday language, literature, media, and education. Examples include pierwsi dzień, pierwszy krok, and pierwszy raz.

Grammatically, pierwsy inflects for gender, number, and case to agree with the noun it modifies. The basic singular forms are masculine: pierwszy; feminine: pierwsza; neuter: pierwsze. In plural, the forms are pierwsi for masculine personal nouns, and pierwsze for feminine, neuter, or non-masculine plural nouns. As a predicative adjective, it can describe a subject: To był pierwszy raz.

Etymology and cognates: Pierwszy is derived from the Proto-Slavic word for “first” and shares cognates with related Slavic languages, such as Russian pervyy and Ukrainian pershyy. The form developed in Polish to function as a standard ordinal, used across contexts to express sequence or priority.

Usage notes: In modern Polish, pierwsy is widespread and versatile, from telling time and describing order (first, primary) to marking priority in lists and selections. It is not a proper name by itself and does not designate a specific title unless part of a defined phrase or proper noun.

Examples: pierwsi kandydaci (the first candidates), pierwszy dzień roku (the first day of the year), pierwsze miejsce (the first place). Capitalization follows normal Polish rules: only capitalized at sentence start or as part of a title or proper noun.