predykatowy

Predykatowy is a Polish adjective that denotes relation to a predicate. In linguistics and grammar, predykatowy describes elements or constructions that function within the predicate part of a sentence, or that express a property assigned to the subject through predication. A common area of reference is predicative usage, where a word or phrase serves as the predicate after a linking verb, such as być (to be). For example, in the sentence Dom jest duży, the adjective duży is used predicatively to attribute the property of being large to the subject Dom.

The term is used variably across grammars. Some frameworks treat predykatowy as a specific class, predykatywne (predicative) adjectives, which are best suited to predicative position and may differ from their attributive usage in certain forms or distributions. Other perspectives describe predication more broadly, focusing on the functional role of the predicate rather than on a strict grammatical category. In practice, many adjectives can appear in both attributive (pre-nominal) and predicative positions, but predykatowy usage emphasizes the predicate function in a clause.

In addition to grammar, predykatowy appears in discussions of logic and semantics, where predykatowy relates to predicate logic—languages or formalisms that use predicates and quantifiers to express relations and properties, as opposed to purely propositional forms.

Etymology: derived from predykat, meaning predicate, with the Polish adjectival suffix -owy. See also predication, predicate logic, copula, predicative adjective.