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Questions & Answers about Moja walizka jest ciężka.
Why isn't there an article (like a or the) in Polish?
Polish has no separate words for a or the. Definiteness or indefiniteness comes from context and word endings. So Moja walizka jest ciężka simply means My suitcase is heavy without adding any article.
What is jest in this sentence?
Jest is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb być (to be). It corresponds to is in English and links the subject (Moja walizka) with the description (ciężka).
How do I know to use moja instead of mój or moje?
The possessive pronoun mój changes form to agree with the gender and number of the noun in the nominative case: masculine is mój, feminine is moja, and neuter or plural is moje. Since walizka is feminine singular, you use moja.
What case is walizka, and why?
Walizka is in the nominative case because it's the subject of the sentence (the thing that's heavy). In Polish, subjects are marked by the nominative case.
Why does ciężka end with -a, and why can't it be ciężki?
Adjectives in Polish must match the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Walizka is feminine singular nominative, so the adjective takes the feminine singular nominative ending -a (ciężka). Ciężki would be the masculine singular form.
What part of speech is ciężka, and what's the difference between ciężka and ciężko?
In this sentence, ciężka is an adjective meaning heavy. An adverb in Polish ends in -o or -e; the corresponding adverb is ciężko (meaning heavily or with difficulty).
How do I pronounce walizka and ciężka?
walizka is pronounced like English w, sz like sh.
ciężka is [ˈt͡ɕɛ̃ʂka], approximated CHEHN-shkah: ę is a nasal en, cz like ch in chair (but softer).
How do I ask Is my suitcase heavy? in Polish?
You can add czy at the beginning: Czy moja walizka jest ciężka?
Or simply use rising intonation: Moja walizka jest ciężka?
How do I say My suitcases are heavy (plural)?
Use plural forms: Moje walizki są ciężkie.
Moje is the plural nominative form of my, walizki is plural, są is are, and ciężkie is the plural adjective.
How do I make a comparative to say My suitcase is heavier than your suitcase?
The comparative of ciężki is cięższy. So you say Moja walizka jest cięższa niż twoja walizka.
If context is clear, you can omit the second walizka: Moja walizka jest cięższa niż twoja.