Which one should you use?
While gitara is the standard term, you may encounter gitarka, which is a diminutive form used to convey an affectionate or playful tone. When addressing a guitar directly in a playful manner, the form Gitarko is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word gitara is a feminine noun and changes its form depending on its role in a sentence. The base form gitara is the nominative singular, used for the subject of a sentence. If the guitar is the direct object of a verb, such as 'to buy a guitar', use the accusative form gitarę. When expressing that someone plays the instrument (grać na…), use the locative form gitarze after the preposition 'na'. The form gitary can serve as the genitive singular (of the guitar) or the nominative plural (guitars). For the genitive plural, meaning 'of the guitars' or 'many guitars', use gitar.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ɡiˈta.ra/. It has three syllables and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The Polish word gitara traces its origins back through Spanish and Arabic to the Aramaic word qīṯārā.
- The Polish word gitara can be used as a complete response to a question about how things are going, effectively meaning 'everything is fine'.
- While gitara is the name of the instrument, in Polish slang, the word 'git' is often used to describe something that is 'cool' or 'excellent'.
Examples in context
- Gdyby ta gitara nie była taka droga, mógłbym ją kupić.If that guitar weren't so expensive, I could buy it.This sentence shows the use of the word gitara in a conditional context regarding price.Tatoeba #1978993 by liori, translation #1396355 by CK
- Marcin gra na gitarze.Marcin plays the guitar.This sentence demonstrates the use of the locative form gitarze after the preposition 'na'.
- Tamta gitara tak droga, że nie mogę jej kupić.That guitar is so expensive that I can't buy it.This sentence shows the use of the word gitara to describe a state of being.Tatoeba #1350246 by Ollie1337, translation #68708 by Zifre
- Dzisiaj idziemy na koncert. Weź gita i zagraj coś!We're going to a concert today. Bring your guitar and play something!
- Dawaj, gitarko, zagraj nam coś bluesowego!Come on, guitar, play us something bluesy!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Paweł and Agnieszka are looking at musical instruments in a shop.
- PawełCzy ta gitara jest elektryczna?Is this guitar electric?
- AgnieszkaNie, to jest zwykła gitara klasyczna.No, it is a regular classical guitar.
- PawełChciałbym kupić nową gitarę.I would like to buy a new guitar.
- AgnieszkaTa gitara brzmi bardzo ładnie.That guitar sounds very nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guitar” translations and entries gitara, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gitara, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
