Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| w ciąży | /ˈf‿t͡ɕɔw̃.ʐɘ/ /ˈf‿t͡ɕɔn.ʐɘ/ |
|
| ciężarny | /t͡ɕɛw̃ˈʐar.nɘ/ /t͡ɕɛnˈʐar.nɘ/ |
|
| brzemienny | /bʐɛˈmjɛn.nɘ/ | literary |
The term is used to describe someone carrying developing offspring within the body. The noun for the condition itself is ciąża.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase w ciąży literally translates to "in pregnancy".
Which one should you use?
w ciąży is the standard way to say someone is pregnant. In contrast, ciężarny is a technical adjective used primarily in medical contexts, such as describing a ciężarna kobieta (a pregnant woman). The term brzemienny is a literary or archaic way to say pregnant and is rarely used in everyday modern conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal and traditional expression, you may use w stanie błogosławionym, which literally means "in a blessed state". brzemienny should be reserved for literary contexts due to its archaic nature.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because w ciąży is a prepositional phrase acting as an adverbial or adjectival phrase, it does not change its form to agree with the gender or number of the subject.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈf‿tɕɔw̃.ʐɘ/. The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word ciąża meaning 'pregnancy' shares the same root as ciągnąć, which means 'to pull' or 'to drag'.
- The root of brzemienny can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰérHmn̥, which is distantly related to the English word 'bear' in the sense of carrying a child.
- While w ciąży is the standard term, Polish speakers may use the phrase w stanie błogosławionym to avoid using the word 'pregnancy' entirely for modesty or tradition.
Examples in context
- Mary jest w ciąży.Mary is pregnant.This sentence is useful for stating that Mary is pregnant using w ciąży.Tatoeba #12476540 by katix824, translation #1522327 by Spamster
- Nie jestem w ciąży.I'm not pregnant.This sentence is useful for stating that one is not pregnant using w ciąży.Tatoeba #4437696 by Luanne, translation #4435809 by maaster
- Czy jestem w ciąży?Am I pregnant?This sentence is useful for asking if one is pregnant using w ciąży.Tatoeba #6320830 by arie, translation #434202 by lukaszpp
- Anna jest w ciąży! Gratulacje!Anna is pregnant! Congratulations!
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Paweł and Katarzyna are talking about their friend's big news.
- PawełCzy Ania jest w ciąży?Is Ania pregnant?
- KatarzynaTak, ona jest w ciąży.Yes, she is pregnant.
- PawełTo wspaniała wiadomość!That is wonderful news!
- KatarzynaBardzo się z niej cieszymy.We are very happy for her.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pregnant” translations and entries w ciąży, ciężarny, brzemienny, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries brzemienny, w, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
