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.