Mój samochód jest wygodny, lecz drogi.

My car is comfortable, but expensive.

Breakdown of Mój samochód jest wygodny, lecz drogi.

• być: to be
• mój: my
• samochód: the car
• wygodny: comfortable
• drogi: expensive
• lecz: but

Questions & Answers about Mój samochód jest wygodny, lecz drogi.

Why is mój used instead of moje or moja?

Polish possessive pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Samochód is a masculine singular noun, so you use the masculine form mój.

• moja would be feminine (“moja książka”),
• moje is neuter or plural (“moje okno” or “moje książki”).

Why isn’t there an article like the or a before samochód?

Polish doesn’t have definite or indefinite articles. You simply say samochód for “a/the car.” Context and word order tell you whether it’s specific or general.

Why are both wygodny and drogi ending in -y?

They’re adjectives describing a masculine singular noun (here samochód) in the nominative case. Masculine singular adjectives typically take -y or -i in the nominative:

• wygodny (comfortable)
• drogi (expensive)

When I use jest, why do the adjectives stay in the nominative case instead of changing to instrumental?

In Polish, predicate adjectives after the verb być (“to be”) remain in the nominative case. Only predicate nouns normally take the instrumental.

• Adjective: “Samochód jest wygodny.” (nominative)
• Noun: “On jest lekarzem.” (instrumental)

What’s the difference between ale and lecz?

Both mean “but,” but:

• ale is more common and neutral, used in everyday speech.
• lecz is more formal or literary and often expresses a stronger contrast. It also frequently follows a negative statement (e.g. nie tani, lecz drogi).

Why is there a comma before lecz?

Polish punctuation requires a comma before coordinating conjunctions that express contrast, such as ale, lecz, or jednak. Omitting it would be considered a mistake in standard writing.

Can I omit jest and say “Mój samochód wygodny, lecz drogi”?

In very casual speech or in headlines you might drop the verb, but in normal spoken or written Polish you include jest to form a complete sentence:
“Mój samochód jest wygodny, lecz drogi.”

I’ve seen drogi used in letters to mean dear. How do I know which meaning is intended?

Context is your guide.

• When you address a person in correspondence (Drogi Janie!), it means “dear.”
• When you describe cost or price (as with samochód), it means “expensive.” Nouns denoting things usually trigger the “expensive” sense.

Where do you place the stress in samochód, wygodny, and drogi?

Polish words are almost always stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable:

• sa-MO-chód
• WY-god-ny
• DRO-gi