przypadku

Przypadek is a masculine Polish noun that denotes a particular occurrence, instance, event, or case. In everyday language it refers to a single example of something, while in professional contexts it can mean a patient’s case, a legal case, or a given situation under consideration. The phrase opis przypadku is common in medical literature to mean a case report, and w przypadku awarii means “in case of a failure,” a standard formulation in technical or formal writing.

Grammatically, przypadek declines as follows in the singular: nominative przypadek, genitive przypadka, dative przypadkowi, accusative przypadek, instrumental przypadkiem, locative przypadku. In the plural: nominative przypadki, genitive przypadków, dative przypadkom, accusative przypadki, instrumental przypadkami, locative przypadkach. The form przypadku is ambiguous in isolation because it serves as both the genitive singular and the locative singular; the intended case is determined by context. After prepositions requiring the locative, such as w, the form przypadku is used (as in w przypadku), whereas other contexts use the genitive or other cases accordingly.

Usage notes include the distinction between sense groups: as a general term for a single instance, as a medical or legal “case,” and as a modifier of probability or coincidence in expressions like “to przypadek” meaning “that’s just a coincidence.” The word is frequent in formal and technical registers, as well as in everyday speech when describing concrete examples or situations.