lód
/ˈlut/masculine
The Polish word for "ice" is lód.
lód refers to water in its frozen form.
Meaning: water in frozen form (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form lód is the nominative case, used when ice is the subject of a sentence. When expressing possession or a part of a whole, such as "a piece of ice", use the genitive form lodu. To indicate that ice is the instrument or the means used to perform an action, use the instrumental case lodem.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈlut/
When do people say it?
To ask if it is slippery outside, you can say Czy jest ślisko na zewnątrz?
Did you know?
- While lód is an ancient Slavic word, its use to describe 'ice cream' as a dessert is actually a semantic loan from the French word glace.
- The adjective lodowaty is used for 'icy' temperature or personality, but the adjective lodowy is typically used for objects physically made of ice, like an 'ice palace'.
- Because the plural lody means 'ice cream', a Polish person might say they are eating lody even if they are eating a single scoop of ice cream.
Examples in context
- Czy lód jest zimny?Is the ice cold?This sentence is useful for asking if the lód is cold.Tatoeba #3430322 by Hikaru, translation #3430211 by MTC
- Czy lód nas utrzyma?Will the ice bear our weight?This sentence is useful for asking if the lód will bear weight.Tatoeba #355705 by zipangu, translation #318328 by CM
- Lód był bardzo gruby.The ice was very thick.This sentence is useful for describing the thickness of the lód.Tatoeba #11572283 by tokzyk, translation #12084133 by sundown
- Muszę kupić kostki lodu do drinków.I need to buy ice cubes for the drinks.
- Bądź ostrożny na tym pasku lodu!Be careful on that strip of ice!
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tomasz and Katarzyna are preparing drinks in the kitchen.
- TomaszCzy mamy jeszcze lód w zamrażarce?Do we have any ice left in the freezer?
- KatarzynaTak, ale jest go bardzo mało.Yes, but there is very little of it.
- TomaszW takim razie muszę zrobić nowy lód.In that case, I need to make new ice.
- KatarzynaDobry pomysł, Tomasz.Good idea, Tomasz.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice” translations and entries lód, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lód, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
