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Questions & Answers about To jest dobry film.
What does to jest mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
To jest is the Polish equivalent of “this is.” To is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “this,” and jest is the third person singular present form of the verb być (to be).
Where is the verb “to be” in Polish, and which word is it here?
The verb “to be” in Polish is być. In the present tense third person singular it becomes jest, which you see in To jest dobry film.
Why is there no equivalent for “a” or “the” before dobry film?
Polish does not have definite or indefinite articles. Context tells you whether a noun is definite or indefinite, so you simply say dobry film for “a good film” or “the good film” depending on context.
Why does dobry end with -y instead of another ending?
Polish adjectives agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify. Film is masculine animate (or in broader classification, masculine personal), singular, and in the nominative case here. The correct masculine singular nominative ending for dobry is -y.
What case is film in, and why?
Film is in the nominative case because it is the subject (or predicate noun after jest) of the sentence. Both the subject and the predicate noun appear in the nominative.
Can you say To dobry film without jest, and would it mean the same?
Yes. In everyday speech you can drop jest and say To dobry film. It’s understood as “This (is) a good film.” Including jest makes the sentence more complete or formal.
Is it possible to change the word order, for example to Jest to dobry film?
Yes, Jest to dobry film is grammatically correct and means the same, though it sounds a bit more emphatic or literary. The neutral, most common order is To jest dobry film.
Why is the adjective placed before the noun (dobry film) and not after?
In Polish the default position for adjectives is before nouns, just like in English. While you can occasionally place an adjective after a noun for stylistic reasons, dobry film is the normal order for “good film.”