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Questions & Answers about Wiosna jest piękna.
Why is there no the or a before wiosna?
Polish does not use articles (no “a,” “an,” or “the”). Nouns stand alone, so wiosna simply means “spring.” Context tells you whether it’s definite or general.
What does jest mean and why is it used here?
jest is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb być (“to be”). In English “spring is beautiful,” the “is” comes from jest. It links the subject (wiosna) with the adjective (piękna).
Can I omit jest and just say Wiosna piękna?
In normal full sentences you need the copula jest for present‐time statements. Omitting it (e.g. Wiosna piękna) sounds poetic, headline‐like, or very informal—like a slogan. In everyday speech stick with Wiosna jest piękna.
What case are wiosna and piękna, and why?
Both are in the nominative case. Wiosna is the subject in nominative singular; piękna is a predicate adjective that agrees with the subject and also stays in the nominative in present‐tense “to be” sentences.
Why does piękna end in -a instead of -y or -e?
Adjectives in Polish must agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. Wiosna is feminine singular, so its adjective takes the feminine singular nominative ending -a.
What is the gender of wiosna, and how can I tell?
Wiosna is feminine. Most Polish nouns ending in -a are feminine (with a few exceptions like koś “church”). You’ll learn exceptions over time, but -a is a reliable first clue.
Could I invert the word order and say Piękna jest wiosna?
Yes, Polish word order is flexible. Piękna jest wiosna would be poetic or used for emphasis (“It’s spring that’s beautiful”). The neutral, everyday order is Wiosna jest piękna.
How do I pronounce Wiosna jest piękna correctly?
Polish stress almost always falls on the penultimate (second‐to‐last) syllable:
- WIOS-na (two syllables: WIOS-na)
- PIĘK-na (two syllables: PIĘK-na)
Also, ę in piękna is a nasalized “e,” pronounced roughly like the “en” in French en.
How would I turn this into a question: “Is spring beautiful?”
You can add Czy at the beginning:
Czy wiosna jest piękna?
Or simply raise your intonation at the end:
Wiosna jest piękna?