kim jesteś?
The English phrase "who are you?" is translated into Polish as kim jesteś?
This phrase is used to ask someone for their identity or name. Depending on your tone of voice, asking kim jesteś? can sound more direct and potentially confrontational than the English equivalent.
What does it mean word for word?
kim is the instrumental case of the interrogative pronoun kto (who) and jesteś is the second-person singular form of the verb być (to be).
Which one should you use?
kim jesteś? is the informal version, while kim jest pan/pani? is used for polite inquiry. If you are addressing a group of people, use the plural form kim jesteście?
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask "who are you?" politely to a man or a woman, use kim jest pan? or kim jest pani? instead of the informal kim jesteś? When addressing more than one person, use the plural kim jesteście?
Did you know?
- While kim jesteś? asks for identity, if you want to ask for a name specifically, Poles often use jak masz na imię?, which literally means 'how do you have for a name?'
- The formal version kim jest pan? avoids the word 'you' (the second person) entirely by using the third person 'he/she'. This is a common linguistic pattern in Polish to create distance and respect.
- Asking kim jesteś? can function as a social challenge to someone's right to be in a certain space, much like the English 'Who do you think you are?'
Examples in context
- Przepraszam, ale kim jesteś?Excuse me, but who are you?
Example conversation
A man and a woman meet unexpectedly at a mysterious masquerade ball.
- KrzysztofKim jesteś?Who are you?
- AnnaJestem tylko nową sąsiadką.I am just the new neighbor.
- KrzysztofW takim razie miło mi cię poznać.In that case, it is nice to meet you.
- AnnaMnie również, Krzysztofie.Me too, Krzysztof.
