Ten problem wydał się trudny.

That problem seemed difficult.

Breakdown of Ten problem wydał się trudny.

• trudny: difficult
• problem: the problem
• ten: that
• wydać się: to seem

Questions & Answers about Ten problem wydał się trudny.

Why is ten used instead of to?

ten is the masculine nominative singular demonstrative. problem is a masculine noun, so ten must match its gender, number, and case. to would be used with neuter nouns.

What case and number is problem in, and how can you tell?

It’s in the nominative singular:

• Nominative because it’s the subject of the sentence.
• Singular because we’re referring to one problem.

What does wydał się mean, and how is the phrase constructed?

wydał się means “seemed” or “turned out to be.”
It’s formed from the perfective verb wydać się:

• wydał = 3rd person singular masculine past tense of the perfective verb.
• się = reflexive pronoun required by wydać się to convey “seem.”

Why is the verb in past tense and masculine form (wydał)?

In Polish, past-tense verbs agree with the subject’s gender and number.
Since problem is masculine singular, the past form is wydał (3rd person singular masculine).

What role does się play in wydał się?

się makes the verb reflexive. For wydać, the meaning is “to publish” or “to issue,” but wydać się means “to seem” or “to turn out.” Without się, you lose that sense of perception.

Why is trudny used here, and what form is it?

trudny is the adjective “difficult.”
It’s in the masculine singular nominative form to agree with problem (also masculine singular nominative).

Could you say Ten problem był trudny instead? What’s the nuance?

Yes, Ten problem był trudny means “This problem was difficult.”

• był = “was,” a straightforward statement of fact.
• wydał się = “seemed” or “turned out to be,” adding a nuance of perception or surprise.

Could you use the imperfective wydawał się instead of wydał się?

Yes, but the aspect changes:

• wydawał się (imperfective) = “was seeming” or “seemed (habitually or over a period).”
• wydał się (perfective) = “seemed/turned out to be” (a single, completed perception).

Can you rearrange the word order like in English?

Polish word order is flexible, but the neutral form is Ten problem wydał się trudny.
For emphasis you could say Trudny wydał się ten problem, but it sounds more literary or poetic.