miły
/ˈmi.wɘ/
The Polish word for 'nice' is miły.
miły is used to describe someone with a friendly or pleasant personality, or to describe a pleasant experience. For example, you can use miły człowiek to describe a nice person who is pleasant or kind in character.
Meaning: attractive, friendly (adj)
Which one should you use?
Avoid using miły if you specifically mean that something is visually pretty or attractive. In those cases, use ładny. Additionally, if you want to emphasize that something is 'great' or 'awesome' rather than just 'nice', you can use świetny for masculine nouns or świetna for feminine nouns.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes depending on the gender of the noun it describes. Use miły for masculine nouns, miła for feminine nouns and miłe for neuter nouns. When describing a group of men or a mixed-gender group of people, use the masculine personal plural form mili.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/ˈmi.wɘ/', 'syllables': 2, 'stressed_syllable': '1 of 2'}
Did you know?
- The word miły is a direct relative of the English word 'mild'. Both come from an ancient root meaning 'soft' or 'gentle'.
- In Polish, the word miłość, which means 'love', is a direct linguistic relative of miły, connecting the idea of being 'nice' to the deepest of human emotions.
- The word miły can also be used as a noun in some contexts to refer to a 'sweetheart', moving it from a descriptive adjective to a term of endearment.
Examples in context
- Tom nie był miły.Tom wasn't nice.This sentence shows how to use miły in the negative.Tatoeba #3750076 by gin, translation #3732720 by CK
- Bądź miły dla Ann.Be nice to Ann.This sentence demonstrates how to use miły when being nice to someone.Tatoeba #352109 by zipangu, translation #66871 by CN
- To taki miły dzień.It's such a nice day.This sentence shows how to use miły to describe a pleasant day.Tatoeba #8746871 by nusia2302, translation #3636250 by CK
- Miło mi cię poznać.Nice to meet you
- Miło mi panią poznać.Meeting you has been a pleasure. (to a female)
- Ten hotel jest naprawdę przyjemny.This hotel is really nice.
- To jest fajny samochód!That's a nice car!
- Świetnie się razem bawiliśmy.We had a nice time together.
- Miło się z tobą rozmawiało.It was nice to talk to you.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Małgorzata and Krzysztof are talking about a new neighbor.
- MałgorzataZnasz już naszego nowego sąsiada?Do you know our new neighbor already?
- KrzysztofTak, on jest bardzo miły.Yes, he is very nice.
- MałgorzataPomógł mi wnieść zakupy.He helped me carry the groceries.
- KrzysztofWiedziałem, że to miły człowiek.I knew he was a nice person.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry miły, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries miły, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
