Ta reklama jest śmieszna.

This advertisement is funny.

Breakdown of Ta reklama jest śmieszna.

• być: to be
• ta: this
• śmieszny: funny
• reklama: the advertisement

Questions & Answers about Ta reklama jest śmieszna.

Why is it ta reklama and not to reklama or ten reklama?

Polish has different words for this depending on the gender of the noun:

• ten – masculine singular (e.g. ten film – this film)
• ta – feminine singular (e.g. ta reklama – this ad)
• to – neuter singular (e.g. to dziecko – this child)

The noun reklama is grammatically feminine, so you must use ta: ta reklama.

What gender is reklama, and how can I tell?

Reklama is feminine.

A quick rule of thumb:

• Most nouns ending in -a are grammatically feminine:
  reklama, kawa, szkoła, kobieta

There are a few exceptions (e.g. mężczyzna is masculine), but reklama is a regular feminine noun, so you treat it as feminine in agreement (with ta, śmieszna, etc.).

Why is it śmieszna and not śmieszny or śmieszne?

Adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun in gender, number and case.

For the basic nominative singular forms:

• masculine: śmieszny (e.g. śmieszny film)
• feminine: śmieszna (e.g. śmieszna reklama)
• neuter: śmieszne (e.g. śmieszne zdjęcie)

Since reklama is feminine singular in the nominative (the subject of the sentence), the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative: śmieszna.

So: Ta reklama jest śmieszna.

Can I drop jest and say Ta reklama śmieszna?

In standard Polish you cannot normally drop jest in this kind of sentence. You need the verb być (to be) in the present tense:

• Ta reklama jest śmieszna. – correct
• Ta reklama śmieszna. – sounds incomplete / wrong in normal speech

Unlike in Russian or some other Slavic languages, Polish generally keeps jest in present‑tense X is Y sentences.

Can I change the word order, for example Śmieszna jest ta reklama?

Yes, Polish word order is flexible, though changes can affect emphasis.

All of these are grammatically correct:

• Ta reklama jest śmieszna. – neutral, most common.
• Śmieszna jest ta reklama. – emphasizes śmieszna (funny); a bit stylized.
• Ta śmieszna reklama jest… – here śmieszna becomes an attributive adjective (this funny ad is…), and you would normally add something after jest.

For a simple, neutral sentence, Ta reklama jest śmieszna is the default choice.

Why is it ta reklama here, but sometimes I see tę reklamę?

That’s a case difference:

• Ta reklama – nominative (subject of the sentence)

  • Ta reklama jest śmieszna. – This ad is funny.

• Tę reklamę – accusative (direct object)

  • Lubię tę reklamę. – I like this ad.
  • Oglądam tę reklamę. – I’m watching this ad.

So you use ta reklama when it’s the subject, and tę reklamę when it’s the direct object.

(You may also hear tą reklamę in speech; that form is very common colloquially, but tę reklamę is the standard written form.)

How do I make the sentence negative?

You put nie directly before the verb jest:

• Ta reklama nie jest śmieszna. – This ad is not funny.

The pattern is:

• [subject] + nie jest + [adjective]

For example:

• Ten film nie jest ciekawy. – This film is not interesting.
• To zadanie nie jest łatwe. – This task is not easy.

How can I say This ad is very funny or not very funny?

You can add adverbs before the adjective:

• Ta reklama jest bardzo śmieszna. – This ad is very funny.
• Ta reklama nie jest bardzo śmieszna. – This ad is not very funny.
• Ta reklama nie jest zbyt śmieszna. – This ad is not too / not very funny.
• Ta reklama wcale nie jest śmieszna. – This ad is not funny at all.

The usual order is:

[subject] + jest + (adverb) + [adjective]
or, in the negative: [subject] + nie jest + (adverb) + [adjective]

What exactly does śmieszna mean? Does it always mean funny in a positive way?

Śmieszna usually means funny, in the sense of something that makes you laugh.

However, it can also mean ridiculous / silly, depending on context and tone, for example:

• To jest śmieszne. – This is ridiculous. (e.g. a stupid idea, a joke of a price)

Some related adjectives:

• zabawna – amusing, funny (more clearly positive)
• dowcipna – witty
• nieśmieszna – not funny / unfunny

In Ta reklama jest śmieszna, without special context, learners can safely understand it as This ad is funny.

How do you pronounce śmieszna, and what’s the difference between ś and sz?

Śmieszna is pronounced roughly like sh-MYESH-na:

• ś – a soft “sh” sound, tongue more towards the front of the mouth
• sz – a hard “sh” sound, tongue further back

For an English ear, both may sound like sh, but Polish clearly distinguishes them:

• ś as in śmieszna, śnieg, prosić
• sz as in szkoła, szansa, proszę

In śmieszna, the stress is on the first syllable: ŚMIE‑szna.

Does reklama mean only a TV commercial, or any kind of advertisement?

Reklama can mean:

• any advertising in general
• a specific advertisement / ad / commercial

Examples:

• reklama w telewizji – TV commercial
• reklama w internecie – online ad
• reklama prasowa – newspaper ad

Some related words:

• ogłoszenie – announcement / classified ad (often text‑based)
• spot reklamowy – a (short) advertising spot, usually on TV/radio/online

In Ta reklama jest śmieszna, it can be this ad or this commercial, depending on context.

How do I say These ads are funny in Polish?

You need the plural forms:

• Te reklamy są śmieszne. – These ads are funny.

Breakdown:

• te – demonstrative plural for non‑masculine‑personal nouns (like reklamy)
• reklamy – plural of reklama
• są – plural form of jest (they are)
• śmieszne – plural adjective form (for non‑masculine‑personal nouns)

So the whole pattern shifts to the plural: te + [plural noun] + są + [plural adjective].