stary
/ˈsta.rɘ/
The Polish word for 'old' (referring to a living being) is stary. Wiktionary also lists niemłody.
Meaning: of a living being: having lived for relatively many years (adj)
Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA |
|---|---|
| stary | /ˈsta.rɘ/ /ˈsta.rɨ/ (Middle, Polish) |
| niemłody |
This adjective is used to describe a living being that has lived for relatively many years.
Which one should you use?
While stary means 'old', using it directly to a person's face can sound blunt or even rude. In contrast, niemłody is a more polite way to say someone is 'not young'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. stary is the masculine form, stara is the feminine form and stare is the neuter form.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable. It is pronounced /ˈsta.rɘ/.
Did you know?
- In Polish slang, stary is often used as a friendly term for 'mate' or 'dude' among men, regardless of their actual age.
- In Polish slang, calling a man stary is a common way to refer to one's 'old man' or 'father'.
- While stary can be rude, calling someone stary wyga is a compliment, meaning they are an experienced 'old hand' or an expert in their field.
Examples in context
- Tom jest taki stary.Tom's so old.The sentence is useful for describing how old a person is using stary.Tatoeba #6553635 by arie, translation #1023832 by CK
- Ten chleb jest stary.The bread is old.This sentence uses stary to describe the age of bread.Tatoeba #4953530 by nusia2302, translation #5347033 by CarpeLanam
- Chyba jestem za stary.I may be too old.The sentence uses stary to express that someone might be too old.Tatoeba #352905 by zipangu, translation #259890 by CK
- Stary mężczyznaOld man
- Stary domOld house
- Stary samochódOld car
- Stara kobietaOld woman
- Stara książkaOld book
- Stara ulicaOld street
- Stare drzewoOld tree
- Stare miastoOld city
- starośćOld age
- Przejdź przez starą ulicęWalk across the old street
- Masz stary samochód. Czas na nowy!You have an old car. It's time for a new one!
- 106 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Krzysztof and Agnieszka are talking about a neighbor's dog at a park.
- KrzysztofTen pies jest bardzo stary.This dog is very old.
- AgnieszkaTak, ale jest bardzo kochany.Yes, but he is very lovely.
- KrzysztofCzy on jest jeszcze sprawny?Is he still mobile?
- AgnieszkaNiestety, Krzysztofie, on już prawie nie chodzi.Unfortunately, Krzysztof, he hardly walks anymore.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “old” translations and entries stary, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
