Mój samochód jest drogi.

to be

Breakdown of Mój samochód jest drogi.

• mój: my
• samochód: the car
• drogi: expensive

Questions & Answers about Mój samochód jest drogi.

Why is it mój, not moje or moja?

mój is the masculine-singular-nominative form of the possessive adjective “my.” Polish possessive adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Since samochód (“car”) is masculine singular in the nominative case, you use mój. If the noun were feminine (e.g. książka “book”), you’d say moja książka; if neuter (e.g. okno “window”), moje okno.

What gender and case is samochód, and how can I recognize it?

Samochód ends in a consonant, so it’s almost always masculine. Here it’s the nominative singular form because it’s the subject of the sentence. A quick rule of thumb: Polish nouns ending in a consonant are generally masculine, but always check a dictionary for exceptions (e.g. dźwięk “sound” is masculine; kęs “bite” is masculine; but róg “horn” is masculine despite the “ą” ending).

Why is drogi the correct adjective form for “expensive”?

Drogi is the masculine-singular-nominative form of the adjective meaning “expensive.” Adjectives in Polish also agree with the noun they describe. Since samochód is masculine singular nominative, drogi matches it.

Does drogi ever mean “dear”? How do I tell which meaning is intended?