# -er suffix, the doer



## 涼宮

Good almost evening 

Is there in Polish any kind of suffix, prefix, infix,, etc  one adds to tell the doer of the action? 

Instances:

Work-er

tell-er

Mak-er

and so on.

I could not find any thread about this 

Dziękuję z góry!


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## majlo

I don't think there's one for a doer of an action. There's one which marks some professions (_-arz_ - piekarz, bednarz, malarz, kominiarz). 

However, as I mentioned before, we have to get by without this useful feature.


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## BezierCurve

I remember we talked about female endings once. There was a small collection of those suffixes there...

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2132734 There.

Additionaly, there are a few other, less popular suffixes, like -ant ("spekulant", "symulant", "partyzant") and -or/er, but not that widely used and mostly in loan words ("protektor", "kombinator").


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## BezierCurve

Actually, why not make a list of them...

Let's start with:

-arz, -acz, -ik, -or, -er, -ca, -ant, -ec, -log.


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## 涼宮

Thank you all of you! Sadly that there is not a fixed suffix, I guess I will have to learn them by heart.  But, if you native speakers want to tell the doer of an action which you never used before, just at the moment of the context, what would usually be your predetermined suffix? Thanks again


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## BezierCurve

I guess it would depend on the stem describing the activity, but no 100% rule would apply, I'm affraid. 

-or, -er, -ant would be mostly used with loans while -arz, -acz and -ciel would be the most productive ones for other stems. 

Even if I knew the word "palenie" as a foreign speaker, I still wouldn't be able to tell wherther the "doer" is "palacz", "palarz" or "paliciel". So, as you've noticed yourself, knowing it by heart is the only way to get it right.

The only one safe enough that I can think of is -log for any branch of science or activity ending with -logia (psycholog, kardiolog, astrolog).


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## 涼宮

Thank you!  In this following sentence what would suit the best for this doer?

They got engaged after knowing each other for 2 years, and the *uniter* was Paul. (the one who brought them together)

That doer could be łączarz/łączacz/łąciel/łączor from łączyć ? Or using the word spójnia to something like spójniarz? I'm just guessing


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## BezierCurve

Those are all very nice sounding neologisms. "Spójniarz" and "łączyciel" sound very convincing, although none of them exists in Polish. The word we're looking for is "swat", ("matchmaker"). Not a good example, I guess...


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## kknd

as i remember productivity of certain suffixes is time-dependant: some of them had their time and gave plenty of words and finally faded into past while new ones found their way into patterns of word formation; of course some of good old-timers survived and are still in good shape! ;p


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## majlo

And even if we didn't have the word "swat" we wouldn't literally translate the word "uniter" (English native speakers: would you use this word in this context?) or coin a new word, but I think we would describe it somehow.


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## NotNow

I wouldn't use it in this context, but I have others use it.  Unfortunately.


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## Ben Jamin

By the way, 'doer' is usually translated to Polish with 'wykonawca', even if 'to do' is 'robić'.
not robiciel, róbca or robiarz. In compund words we use -czyńca or -róbca (złoczyńca - wrongdoer, brakoróbca - one producing bad products).


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## kknd

sidenotes: _wykonawca_ from _wykonywać_ ('to make'); _złoczyńca_ and _dobroczyńca_ are calques from latin just like _malefactor_ and _benefactor_; interesting that i haven't found similar pair for _wrongdoer_…


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