Pokój jest ciemny.

The room is dark.

Breakdown of Pokój jest ciemny.

• być: to be
• pokój: the room
• ciemny: dark

Questions & Answers about Pokój jest ciemny.

How do you pronounce Pokój?

The word Pokój has two syllables: PO-kój. The stress is on the first syllable: [ˈpɔ.kuj]. The letter ó sounds like /u/, and j is pronounced like the English “y” in “you.”

What does Pokój mean?

Here Pokój means “room” (in a house or apartment). Note that pokój can also mean “peace” in other contexts, but the meaning is clear from the sentence.

Why is pokój masculine, and how does that affect ciemny?

pokój is a masculine noun (even though it ends with “-ój”). In Polish, adjectives must agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case. Since pokój is masculine singular nominative, the adjective takes its masculine singular nominative form ciemny.

What is jest, and why is it needed here?

jest is the third-person singular present tense of być (“to be”). It links the subject Pokój to the adjective ciemny, forming a complete sentence:
The room (is) dark.

Can you omit jest and just say Pokój ciemny?

In everyday standard Polish you normally include jest for a descriptive statement. Omitting it—Pokój ciemny—sounds poetic or extremely colloquial. The neutral form is Pokój jest ciemny.

What’s the difference between ciemny and ciemno?

• ciemny is an adjective meaning “dark”; it modifies a noun and must agree in gender, number, and case.
• ciemno is an adverb meaning “it’s dark” (describing how something is).
  Examples:
  • Pokój jest ciemny. (The room is dark.)
  • Jest ciemno w pokoju. (It’s dark in the room.)

How do you turn Pokój jest ciemny into a question?

Two main ways:

1. Add czy at the start: Czy pokój jest ciemny?
2. Just use rising intonation: Pokój jest ciemny?

How do you make the sentence negative?

Place nie before the verb: Pokój nie jest ciemny. This means “The room is not dark.”