Learn Hardcore Polish: Dom jest stary.

Polish has no definite or indefinite articles. Context tells you if you mean “a house” or “the house.” If you want to be specific, you can add a demonstrative: Ten dom jest stary (“This house is old”).

Why are both dom and stary in the nominative case?

In a sentence with a linking verb (jest = “is”), the subject and the predicate adjective both appear in the nominative. Pattern: Subject (Nom) + jest + Adjective (Nom).

Why is the adjective stary in that exact form and not stara or stare?

Adjectives must agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case. Dom is a masculine, singular, inanimate noun, so the adjective takes the masculine‐singular‐nominative form stary.

Can I place the adjective before the noun, like stary dom? Is that the same as Dom jest stary?

Stary dom is just a noun phrase meaning “old house,” without a verb. Dom jest stary is a full sentence with the verb jest. You can’t say jest dom stary—the standard is Noun + jest + Adjective.

Why is the verb jest used here? Could I say something else?

Jest is the 3rd person singular present of być (“to be”), matching the singular subject dom. If you had multiple houses (domy), you’d say Domy są stare (“Houses are old”), using są (3rd person plural).

Is it ok to drop jest and just say Dom stary?

In very informal or poetic contexts you might omit jest, but it sounds elliptical. For clear standard Polish, keep jest.

How do I make this sentence negative: “The house is not old”?

Insert nie before the verb: Dom nie jest stary.

How do I turn it into a question: “Is the house old?”

Option 1 (with czy): Czy dom jest stary?
Option 2 (no czy, rising intonation): Dom jest stary?

How can I say “The house is very old”?

Add an adverb like bardzo (“very”) before the adjective: Dom jest bardzo stary.