pani
/ˈpa.ɲi/
The Polish word for mrs. is pani.
pani is a title used before the surname of a married woman. In Polish, this term serves as a polite way to address a woman regardless of whether she is married or single, making it equivalent to both 'Mrs.' and 'Ms.' in English.
How does it change in a sentence?
pani is used as a title for any woman regardless of her marital status.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of pani is /ˈpa.ɲi/. It has 2 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- In many social situations, Polish speakers will use 'pani' followed by a verb in the third person singular, even when speaking directly to the woman.
- Polish speakers often combine pani with the first name of the person to balance formality with friendliness, such as pani Anno.
- The term pani can be used sarcastically to distance oneself from someone during an argument, signaling a sudden loss of intimacy.
Examples in context
- Pani Kowalska, czy mogę zadać pytanie?Mrs. Kowalska, may I ask a question?
- Czy pani Kowalska jest w domu?Is Mrs. Kowalska at home?
- Pani Nowak jest bardzo miła.Mrs. Nowak is very kind.
Example conversation
Piotr is asking Katarzyna about their teacher.
- KatarzynaKatarzyno, czy wiesz, gdzie jest pani Lewandowska?Katarzyna, do you know where Mrs. Lewandowska is?
- PiotrMyślę, że pani Lewandowska poszła do biblioteki.I think Mrs. Lewandowska went to the library.
- KatarzynaMuszę oddać jej te dokumenty.I need to give her these documents.
- PiotrChodźmy tam razem teraz.Let's go there together now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pani, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
