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Questions & Answers about Mój szalik jest ciepły.
Why is it Mój instead of Moje?
Mój is the masculine singular nominative form of the first-person possessive pronoun. Szalik is a masculine noun in the nominative case, so the pronoun must agree in gender, number and case—hence mój.
How do we know that szalik is masculine and in the nominative case?
Polish nouns have gender and are inflected for case. Szalik ends in a consonant, which usually indicates masculine gender. It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence (“my scarf”). The nominative singular masculine form is simply szalik.
Why is the adjective ciepły ending in -y, and not -a or -e?
Adjectives in Polish agree with the noun they describe in gender, number and case. Because szalik is masculine singular nominative, the adjective takes the masculine singular nominative ending -y, giving ciepły.
Why do we need the verb jest here? Couldn’t we just say Mój szalik ciepły?
In standard Polish, a present-tense linking verb (a form of być, “to be”) is required to connect a subject with a predicate adjective. Omitting jest in everyday speech sounds incomplete or poetic. So Mój szalik jest ciepły is the correct full sentence.
Why isn’t there a word for “the” or “a” before szalik?
Polish does not use articles (like “the” or “a” in English). Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context or by using demonstratives (ten, “this”) or indefinites (jakiś, “some”).
How do I pronounce szalik and ciepły?
Szalik is pronounced approximately “SHAH-lik” ([ˈʂalik]), where sz = [ʂ] as in English “sh,” and a = “ah.”
Ciepły is “CHYEH-pwih” ([ˈt͡ɕɛpwɨ]), where ci = [t͡ɕ] like “ch” in “cheese,” e = “eh,” and ł = [w] as in “win.”
Can I say Mój ciepły szalik instead?
Yes. Mój ciepły szalik (“my warm scarf”) is an attributive adjective construction (adjective before noun). Mój szalik jest ciepły emphasizes the state or condition (“My scarf is warm right now”), while Mój ciepły szalik simply identifies the scarf as warm.
What’s the difference between szalik and szal?
Both mean “scarf/shawl,” but szalik usually refers to a knitted or wool scarf wrapped around the neck (casual), whereas szal often denotes a larger, dressier wrap or stole, sometimes made of silk or pashmina.