Ta sytuacja jest trudna.

This situation is difficult.

Breakdown of Ta sytuacja jest trudna.

• być: to be
• trudny: difficult
• ta: this
• sytuacja: the situation

Questions & Answers about Ta sytuacja jest trudna.

What does the word ta do here, and why this form?

Ta is the feminine singular nominative form of the demonstrative meaning this. It matches the gender and case of sytuacja (a feminine noun). Polish demonstratives agree with the noun:

• masculine: ten (e.g., ten problem)
• feminine: ta (e.g., ta sytuacja)
• neuter: to (e.g., to zadanie)

Could I say to sytuacja instead of ta sytuacja?

Not when sytuacja is the subject in nominative. To is neuter and doesn’t agree with sytuacja (feminine). You can say:

• To jest trudna sytuacja. (This is a difficult situation.)
• Ta sytuacja jest trudna. (This specific situation is difficult.) Both are correct, but they have different structures and slightly different discourse uses.

Do I have to include ta? What changes if I drop it?

No, you can omit it. Sytuacja jest trudna states that the situation (understood from context) is difficult, more like saying the situation is difficult in a general/contextual way. Ta sytuacja jest trudna points to a specific, singled‑out situation: this situation.

Why is it trudna, not trudny or trudne?

Adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe. Sytuacja is feminine singular nominative, so the adjective is feminine singular nominative: trudna. Examples with other genders:

• masculine: Ten problem jest trudny.
• neuter: To zadanie jest trudne.
• plural (non-masculine personal): Te sytuacje są trudne.

What case is used after jest here?

With predicative adjectives after być (to be), Polish uses the nominative: trudna agrees with nominative sytuacja. So it’s nominative on both sides of jest. This is different from predicative nouns, which typically take instrumental: Ta sytuacja jest problemem (problemem = instrumental).

So would Ta sytuacja jest trudną ever be correct?

No. Predicative adjectives after być do not switch to instrumental. You must say trudna (nominative), not trudną.

Why is it ta, not tę or tą?

Because sytuacja is the subject in nominative, and the nominative feminine demonstrative is ta. Tę is the standard accusative feminine form, used when the noun is a direct object (e.g., Widzę tę sytuację). Many Poles say/write tą colloquially for the accusative, but standard written Polish prefers tę. In nominative, only ta is correct.

How do I negate this sentence?

Insert nie before the verb:

• Ta sytuacja nie jest trudna. You can add intensifiers:
• Ta sytuacja wcale nie jest trudna. (not difficult at all)
• Ta sytuacja nie jest zbyt trudna. (not too difficult)

How do I turn it into a yes–no question?

Use czy at the beginning, or rely on rising intonation:

• Czy ta sytuacja jest trudna?
• Ta sytuacja jest trudna? (spoken, with rising intonation)

Can I drop jest and say Ta sytuacja trudna?

In standard speech, no—the copula jest is required. Ta sytuacja trudna sounds like a headline, a note, or very telegraphic style. You might see such ellipsis in titles, captions, or dramatic/literary emphasis, but not in neutral conversation.

What’s the difference between Ta sytuacja jest trudna and To jest trudna sytuacja?

• Ta sytuacja jest trudna: we already know which situation (it’s identifiable); we’re describing it with an adjective.
• To jest trudna sytuacja: we’re presenting or classifying something as a difficult situation (a bit like saying This is a difficult situation). Both are common; choose based on whether you’re describing a known subject or introducing/classifying it.

Can I change the word order for emphasis?

Yes, Polish allows some flexibility for emphasis:

• Trudna jest ta sytuacja. (emphasizes the adjective, somewhat formal/stylized)
• Jest trudna ta sytuacja. (also possible, marked/focus after the predicate)
• Sytuacja ta jest trudna. (placing ta after the noun is formal/literary) Neutral and most common is still Ta sytuacja jest trudna.

How do I pronounce sytuacja and trudna?

• sytuacja: roughly si-tu-VA-tsya. Stress is on the penultimate syllable: -wa-. The cluster cja is pronounced like tsya (not like English -ksha). The letter y is a central vowel (not the English ee).
• trudna: TRUD-na, stress on TRUD. u like oo in book, rolled r, clear dn.
• jest: like English yest.
• ta: like tah. Polish stress is almost always on the penultimate syllable.

Where do I place intensifiers like bardzo or naprawdę?

Put them before the adjective:

• Ta sytuacja jest bardzo trudna.
• Ta sytuacja jest naprawdę trudna. Comparatives/superlatives:
• Ta sytuacja jest trudniejsza. (more difficult)
• To najtrudniejsza sytuacja. (the most difficult situation)

Is there a difference between trudna and words like ciężka or skomplikowana?

• trudna = difficult, hard (general difficulty).
• ciężka = heavy/serious; in many contexts it overlaps with trudna (colloquial), but can suggest burden or severity.
• skomplikowana = complicated/complex (focus on complexity). Choose based on nuance: a problem can be trudny because it’s hard, skomplikowany because it’s complex, ciężki because it’s severe/onerous.

What’s the difference between using an adjective vs an adverb: trudna vs trudno?

• Ta sytuacja jest trudna. The adjective trudna describes the noun sytuacja.
• W tej sytuacji jest trudno. The adverb trudno says it’s difficult (to act/cope) in that situation, without describing the situation as a property of the noun itself.

Can I use an attributive adjective instead: trudna sytuacja?

Yes, as a noun phrase: To trudna sytuacja or Mamy trudną sytuację. In your sentence, the adjective is predicative (after jest). Attributive adjectives typically come before the noun in Polish; post-nominal placement (sytuacja trudna) is marked/formal or used for contrast.

How would this change with plural or different genders?

• masculine: Ten kryzys jest trudny.
• neuter: To zadanie jest trudne.
• plural (non-masculine personal): Te sprawy są trudne. The verb also changes in plural: są instead of jest.

Any common mistakes to avoid with this sentence?

• Using the wrong demonstrative: don’t say to sytuacja as the subject; use ta sytuacja.
• Putting the noun in accusative (sytuację) after jest. Keep nominative: sytuacja.
• Switching the adjective to instrumental (trudną) after jest. Keep nominative: trudna.
• Overusing ta when you mean a generic situation; Sytuacja jest trudna may be more natural in some contexts.