uczniem

Uczniem is the instrumental singular form of the Polish noun uczeń, meaning a pupil or student in the school system. The term uczeń refers to a male pupil, typically in primary or secondary education, who learns under the supervision of teachers. A female pupil is uczennica, and the plural nominative is uczniowie. The instrumental singular form uczniem is used after prepositions such as z (with) or przez (through) in contexts that require the instrumental case, for example in phrases like z uczniem or prowadzić rozmowę z uczniem.

In the Polish education system, the distinction between uczeń and student is important: uczeń denotes someone in compulsory school years, whereas student refers to a person studying at a university or other higher education institution. The term uczeń thus carries connotations of school-age learning and the formal teacher–pupil relationship, while university students are usually described as studenci.

Etymologically, uczeń derives from the Polish verb uczyć (to teach or to learn). The word is part of a broader Slavic family of terms connected with learning and schooling. In everyday use, uczeń appears in a variety of contexts, from classroom routines to discussions of educational policy and student life.

See also: uczennica, uczeń, student. Notes on usage emphasize the gender and educational level distinctions, and the instrumental form uczniem is one of the standard case forms used in Polish grammar.