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Questions & Answers about Mój stół jest niski.
Why doesn’t Polish use a or the before stół?
Polish has no articles. There is no direct equivalent of a/the. Definite or indefinite meaning comes from context or from demonstratives like ten stół (“this table”).
How do I know to use mój instead of moja or moje?
Mój is the masculine singular nominative form of “my.” It agrees with stół, which is masculine and in the nominative case.
- Feminine noun → moja (e.g. moja książka)
- Neuter noun → moje (e.g. moje okno)
What case is stół in, and why?
It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. The nominative answers “who?” or “what?” → “What is low? – the table.”
Why is the verb jest used here?
Jest is the 3rd-person singular present of być (“to be”). It links the subject (Mój stół) with its predicate adjective (niski). Other present forms of być: jestem, jesteś, jesteśmy, jesteście, są.
Why does the adjective niski come after jest instead of before stół?
When an adjective functions as a predicate (after “to be”), it follows the verb:
Mój stół jest niski.
If it directly modifies the noun, it precedes it:
niski stół (“low table”).
How would niski change if stół were feminine or plural?
Adjectives agree in gender, number and case with the noun:
- Feminine singular: niska (e.g. niska szafa)
- Neuter singular: niskie (e.g. niskie krzesło)
- Masculine personal plural: niscy
- Non-masc. personal plural: niskie (e.g. niskie stoły)
How do you pronounce stół? What are ó and ł?
- ó is pronounced like English u in “food.”
- ł is pronounced like English w in “water.”
So stół sounds roughly like stuw (one syllable).
Can I invert the order for emphasis and say Niski jest mój stół?
Yes. Polish word order is flexible. Niski jest mój stół emphasizes niski, though the neutral order is Mój stół jest niski.
How do I ask “Is my table low?” in Polish?
Put Czy at the start:
Czy mój stół jest niski?
You don’t need to change the rest of the word order after czy.