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Questions & Answers about To ćwiczenie jest łatwe.
What does To mean here?
It’s the demonstrative pronoun/determiner meaning roughly this (and often also that in casual use). Because the noun ćwiczenie is neuter, the matching demonstrative is to. So To ćwiczenie = This exercise.
Why is it to ćwiczenie and not ten/ta ćwiczenie?
Polish demonstratives agree with the noun’s gender:
- ten = masculine
- ta = feminine
- to = neuter Since ćwiczenie is neuter, you use to: to ćwiczenie. In the plural you’d use te: te ćwiczenia.
What gender and case is ćwiczenie here?
Neuter, nominative singular. In this sentence it’s the subject. Nouns in -nie (formed from verbs) are typically neuter.
Why is it łatwe and not łatwy or łatwa?
Adjectives must agree with the noun. Ćwiczenie is neuter, so the nominative singular adjective is łatwe.
- masculine: łatwy
- feminine: łatwa
- neuter: łatwe
Why not łatwo?
Łatwo is an adverb (easily). After jest you need an adjective describing the noun, so łatwe (easy) is correct: To ćwiczenie jest łatwe.
Can I omit to and just say Ćwiczenie jest łatwe?
Yes. Ćwiczenie jest łatwe is perfectly fine and a bit more generic (the exercise is easy). To ćwiczenie specifically points to a particular one (this exercise).
Can I say To jest łatwe ćwiczenie? Is there a difference?
Yes, that’s also correct and common: To jest łatwe ćwiczenie (This is an easy exercise). Subtle nuance:
- To ćwiczenie jest łatwe = topic is the exercise; you comment on its property.
- To jest łatwe ćwiczenie = you identify what this is, classifying it as an easy exercise. Both are natural; choose based on what you want to emphasize.
Is jest required in the present tense?
Yes, in Polish you generally keep jest in present-tense equational sentences. Unlike Russian, Polish does not normally drop the copula here. So To ćwiczenie jest łatwe is standard; To ćwiczenie łatwe sounds ungrammatical outside of very telegraphic styles.
How do I negate the sentence?
Put nie before the verb:
- To ćwiczenie nie jest łatwe. You can add alternatives:
- To ćwiczenie jest trudne (it’s difficult).
- Emphatic: To ćwiczenie wcale nie jest łatwe (it’s not easy at all).
What are the plural forms?
- Noun: ćwiczenie → ćwiczenia (nominative plural)
- Demonstrative: to → te
- Verb: jest → są
- Adjective plural (non-masculine personal): łatwe Full sentence: Te ćwiczenia są łatwe.
How is the ł in łatwe pronounced?
Modern ł sounds like English w. So łatwe starts with something like “wat-”. Roughly: “WAT-veh” (with Polish short vowels).
How do I pronounce ćwiczenie?
Break it down:
- ćw ≈ “chv” (soft ch, then v)
- cz ≈ English ch in charm (but a bit harder/retroflex)
- nie gives a soft ń sound (like ny in canyon) Approximation: “CHVEE-CHEH-nyeh”. Stress the second-to-last syllable: ćwi-CZE-nie.
What’s the difference between ć, cz, and c sounds I see in ćwiczenie?
- ć = soft “ch” as in cheap, but more hissy and palatalized.
- cz = hard “ch” as in charm (retroflex).
- c (not in this word) = “ts” as in cats. In ćwiczenie you hear both ć (at the start) and cz (in the middle).
Where is the stress in this sentence?
Polish stress is almost always on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable of a word. For ćwiczenie, it’s on -cze-: ćwi-CZE-nie. In the full sentence, each word keeps its own stress.
Could I use prosty instead of łatwy?
Sometimes. Nuance:
- łatwy = easy (low difficulty).
- prosty = simple (not complicated). An exercise can be both, but a task might be simple yet not easy, or vice versa. Your sentence focuses on difficulty, so łatwe is the default.
How do I say easier and easiest?
- Comparative: łatwiejszy/łatwiejsza/łatwiejsze (agree with the noun)
- Superlative: najłatwiejszy/najłatwiejsza/najłatwiejsze Examples:
- To ćwiczenie jest łatwiejsze.
- To ćwiczenie jest najłatwiejsze.
What’s the full declension of ćwiczenie in a nutshell?
Singular:
- nominative/accusative/vocative: ćwiczenie
- genitive: ćwiczenia
- dative: ćwiczeniu
- instrumental: ćwiczeniem
- locative: ćwiczeniu Plural:
- nominative/accusative/vocative: ćwiczenia
- genitive: ćwiczeń
- dative: ćwiczeniom
- instrumental: ćwiczeniami
- locative: ćwiczeniach
Does jest change with gender?
No. Jest is the 3rd person singular of być (to be) and doesn’t change with gender. Conjugation (present):
- jestem, jesteś, jest, jesteśmy, jesteście, są
Are there word-order variations for emphasis?
Yes, but keep it natural:
- Neutral: To ćwiczenie jest łatwe.
- Emphasizing the quality: Łatwe jest to ćwiczenie. The version with Łatwe jest… is more stylistic/emphatic; the neutral one is the default.