Jedwab jest delikatny.

The silk is delicate.

Breakdown of Jedwab jest delikatny.

• być: to be
• delikatny: delicate
• jedwab: silk

Questions & Answers about Jedwab jest delikatny.

Why is it jest, and can I leave it out like in Russian?

In this sentence, jest is the 3rd person singular form of być (to be), so it means is.

In standard Polish, you normally keep jest in a sentence like this:

• Jedwab jest delikatny.

Leaving it out would sound unnatural in ordinary modern Polish. Polish sometimes omits forms of to be in certain styles or expressions, but not usually in a basic sentence like this one.

What gender is jedwab, and why does delikatny end in -y?

Jedwab is a masculine noun in Polish, specifically masculine inanimate.

Because Polish adjectives must agree with the noun they describe, delikatny is also in the:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

form.

That is why you get:

• jedwab → masculine singular
• delikatny → masculine singular

If the noun were feminine, you would use delikatna.
If it were neuter, you would use delikatne.

What case is jedwab in here?