kto
English meaning: Who
Definition
Used to ask about people.
Example
“Kto to jest?”
In English: “Who is that?”
Another example: “Kto przyjdzie na spotkanie?”
Usage — When, Where & How
The interrogative/relative pronoun 'who'. Used in questions about people and in relative clauses ('ten, kto' = the one who). Neutral; learners must decline it correctly (kogo, komu).
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
'Kto' develops from the Proto-Slavic *kъto, serving as a key pronoun across Slavic languages for asking about identity. It has held its place in Polish for centuries.
Common Collocations
- kto to jest
- kto tam
- kto wie
- mało kto
- kto pierwszy, ten lepszy
Word Forms
nom. kto, gen./acc. kogo, dat. komu, instr. kim, loc. (o) kim
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“Litwo! Ojczyzno moja! ty jesteś jak zdrowie”
/Litwo! Ojczyzno moja! ty yestes jak zdrowie/
“Lithuania! My homeland! You are like health — one only knows your worth when you are lost.”
“Tyle wiemy o sobie, ile nas sprawdzono.”
“We know ourselves only insofar as we have been tested.”
Images
CC-licensed · free to useVideo
Language information
- Language
- Polski
- Polish
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Slavic
- Speakers
- 45M