Learn Hardcore Polish: Ten film był interesujący, ale zakończenie wydało mi się dziwne. - That movie was interesting, but the ending seemed strange to me.

ten is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this” or “that.” In Polish, it word precedes the noun and agrees with it in gender (masculine), number (singular), and case (nominative).

Why is film in the nominative case?

Film is the subject of the sentence (“This film was interesting…”), and the nominative case is used for subjects in Polish.

Why is był used instead of jest?

Był is the past tense, third person singular masculine form of być (“to be”). It’s used because the speaker refers to having watched the film in the past.

Why is interesujący in that specific ending?

Interesujący is an adjective modifying film, which is masculine singular nominative. Adjectives must agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case.

What does zakończenie mean, and what gender is it?

Zakończenie means “ending” or “conclusion.” It’s a neuter noun (notice the –e ending), so any adjective or verb referring to it must match neuter singular.

Why do we say zakończenie wydało mi się dziwne and not simply zakończenie było dziwne?

Using wydawać się/wydać się (“to seem”) expresses a subjective impression. Wydało mi się literally means “it appeared to me.” Saying było dziwne would state it as a plain fact, without that personal nuance.

How does wydało mi się break down grammatically?

wydało is the neuter singular past of the perfective verb wydać (się) (“to seem,” perfective of wydawać się)
mi is the dative form of ja, marking the experiencer (“to me”)
się is the reflexive pronoun required by the verb wydać się

Why is dziwne in that form at the end?

Dziwne is an adjective describing zakończenie (neuter singular nominative). Adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns they modify.

Can the word order zakończenie wydało mi się dziwne change?

Polish has relatively flexible word order, but this Subject–Verb–Indirect Object–Adjective sequence is the most natural. You could say mi się zakończenie wydało dziwne, but it shifts emphasis slightly (placing more focus on mi).

What’s the difference between ale and a?

Both can mean “but,” but ale is the most common for simple contrasts. A often contrasts two subjects or ideas gently, like “and yet,” while ale is stronger: “this was the case, but that happened.” Here ale stresses the contrast between an interesting film and a strange ending.