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Questions about Polish language and grammar - I can help you [16]
Another one of this kind: mitręga. "Mordęga" or "mitręga" are not yet "old-fashioned", but they may be heading in that direction [the root verb "(z)mitrężyć" does seem to me quite old-fashioned, however].
"Szlachciura" is mostly heard in the historical context these days, just as its root noun "szlachcic". Still, they are perfectly recognizable in modern language (probably like the English word "peasant" which belongs to the past, but everybody knows what it means).
In the absence of Kasiula (who has apparently been frightened off by the question of Polonius), I would like to say that "dwojga, trojga ... sześciorga" is the genetive case of "dwoje, troje ... sześcioro". These numerals are used with plural neutral nouns or nouns describing groups of living beings of both sexes. For example, when I read a title in the "Polityka" weekly (the real title, actually): "
Economy, Tusku! czyli dzień z życia trojga przywódców", I would expect that among these three leaders that the paper is going to describe, there should be one or two women (in other words, they would never apply such a title if talking of male leaders only in which case the title should be: "z życia
trzech przywódców). And indeed, the article discusses the day from the life of Angela Merkel, Barack Obama and Donald Tusk. In the nominative case you would have: "Oto troje (nominative) przywódców (genetive): A.M, B.O. and D. T. (nominative)". Similarly, you would have: dwoje (or better, oboje) małżonków, troje źrebiąt, czworo szczeniąt, pięcioro prosiąt, sześcioro dzieci etc.)
Numerals in Polish is a very complicated question and there could be more to add to the problem. Indeed, you
do say: dwoje, troje, czworo (etc.) kobiet (genetive) which is just the other way of saying: dwie, trzy, cztery kobiety (nominative); both expressions mean exactly the same.
