tamten

Tamten is a Polish demonstrative word that functions as both a determiner and a pronoun. It refers to a noun that is distant in space, time, or discourse, and it contrasts with the closer demonstratives ten/ta/to (this/these). Tamten can mark distance in a sentence and is often used to indicate a particular item that has already been identified or contrasted with something closer. In practice, it translates to “that one” or “that over there” in English, depending on context.

Morphology and usage notes

Tamten inflects for gender and number. In singular: masculine tamten, feminine tamta, neuter tamto. In plural, common forms are tamci for masculine personal nouns and tamte for other gender groups or for non-personal nouns. Examples: tamten człowiek (that man over there), tamta kobieta (that woman), tamto dziecko (that child), tamci ludzie (those people), tamte okulary (those glasses). Tamten can appear before a noun as a determiner, or stand alone as a pronoun in contexts where the noun is understood from context.

Register and nuance

Tamten is somewhat formal and can carry a literary or emphatic nuance. It is often chosen to emphasize distance or to create contrast with something previously mentioned or implied, as in tamten dzień (that day from the past) or tamte obrazy (those artworks mentioned earlier). In everyday speech, speakers may use closer demonstratives (ten/ta/to) unless distance or contrast is being highlighted.

See also

Polish grammar on demonstratives; comparison with ten, ta, to; usage of demonstratives in narrative and emphasis.