Polish · A1 · Grammar

Być and mieć: How to say I am and I have in Polish

Jestem means I am; mam means I have. Start with sentences you can use together: Jestem w domu (I’m at home) and Mam czas (I have time). Those two verbs let you answer common questions about where you are and what you have with you.

Library date 20 August 2026

Learn the forms in pairs

I: jestem / mam. You, informal singular: jesteś / masz. He, she or it: jest / ma. We: jesteśmy / mamy. You, plural: jesteście / macie. They: są / mają. Polish often leaves out the subject when the verb and context make it clear.

Ask and answer

Masz bilet? (Do you have a ticket?) can be answered with Tak, mam (Yes, I do). Ask Gdzie jesteś? (Where are you?) and answer Jestem w domu. For another person, change both forms: Ola jest w domu. Ma czas. (Ola is at home. She has time.)

One change after nie mam

Notice Mam bilet (I have a ticket) and Nie mam biletu (I don’t have a ticket). The noun changes because the negated mieć takes a genitive object here. Learn nie mam czasu (I don’t have time) as another ready-made reply.