Godzina kolacji jest zbyt późna.

The dinner time is too late.

Breakdown of Godzina kolacji jest zbyt późna.

• być: to be
• kolacja: the dinner
• późny: late
• zbyt: too

Questions & Answers about Godzina kolacji jest zbyt późna.

Why is kolacji in the genitive case instead of the nominative?

In Polish, when one noun specifies or modifies another (like “hour of dinner”), the specifying noun takes the genitive. Here godzina (hour) is described as the hour of kolacja (dinner), so kolacja becomes kolacji (genitive singular).

Why does późna end with –a?

Adjectives in Polish agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case. Godzina is feminine, singular, nominative, so późny (late) changes to późna to match.

What part of speech is zbyt and why is it used here?

Zbyt is an adverb meaning “too” or “excessively.” It modifies the adjective późna to express that the hour is excessively late.

Could you use za instead of zbyt?

Informally, you might hear za (e.g. za późna), but the standard, more formal adverb for “too” with an adjective is zbyt.

Why is the word order Godzina kolacji jest zbyt późna and can it be changed?