ładny
/ˈwad.nɘ/
The Polish word for pretty is ładny.
ładny is an adjective used to describe something as pleasant or attractive, especially when referring to women and children. While ładny is a standard way to say pretty, you might use more intense terms like Niebywale piękna for incredibly beautiful, Urzekająca for captivating or Olśniewająca for stunning in more formal contexts.
Meaning: especially of women and children: pleasant, attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
While ładny is the standard term, the adverb całkiem can be used to mean 'somewhat' in certain contexts. For more intense descriptions, formal alternatives like Niebywale piękna (incredibly beautiful), Urzekająca (captivating) or Olśniewająca (stunning) are used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, ładny must agree in gender with the noun it describes. Use ładna for feminine nouns, ładne for neuter nouns and ładni for masculine personal plural nouns, which refers to groups of men or mixed groups of people.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈwad.nɘ/. It has 2 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word ładny is used to describe a 'pretty' lie (ładne kłamstwo) when the lie is clever, well-constructed or believable.
- The word ładny is built from the root ład, which means 'order' or 'harmony'. It suggests that something is pretty because it is well-ordered or harmonious.
- In some contexts, calling a behavior ładny is a way of saying it is polite or proper, rather than visually attractive.
Examples in context
- To jest ładny dom.It's a pretty house.This sentence demonstrates the use of ładny to describe a house.Tatoeba #889241 by calmanani, translation #703133 by papabear
- Pani Maria jest niebywale piękna.Mrs. Maria is incredibly beautiful.
- Pani Katarzyna jest urzekająca.Ms. Katarzyna is captivating.
- Pani Anna wygląda olśniewająco.Mrs. Anna looks stunning.
- Ta sukienka jest śliczna.This dress is pretty.
- On jest naprawdę fajniutki.He is really cool.
Example conversation
Paweł is complimenting Katarzyna's new dress.
- PawełKatarzyno, masz dziś bardzo ładny outfit.Katarzyna, you have a very pretty outfit today.
- KatarzynaDziękuję, kupiłam go wczoraj.Thank you, I bought it yesterday.
- PawełTen kolor bardzo do ciebie pasuje.This color suits you very well.
- KatarzynaTo naprawdę miłe z twojej strony.That is really kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pretty” translations and entries ładny, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ładny, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
