To miasto jest duże.

This city is big.

Breakdown of To miasto jest duże.

• być: to be
• to: this
• miasto: the city
• duży: great

Questions & Answers about To miasto jest duże.

What exactly does to mean in this sentence?

In To miasto jest duże, to is a demonstrative word that usually corresponds to English this or that.

So the whole sentence is like This/That city is big.

Here, to:

• points to a specific city (maybe one both speakers can see or know about), and
• agrees in gender with miasto (which is neuter).

For neuter nouns in the nominative (dictionary form), the demonstrative is to:

• ten – masculine
• ta – feminine
• to – neuter

Because miasto is neuter, you must say to miasto, not ten miasto or ta miasto.

Why is it miasto and not miasta or miastu here?

Miasto is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

Very roughly:

• kto? co? (who? what?) → nominative (dictionary form)
• To miasto jest duże → What is big? → miasto → subject → nominative.

Other forms of miasto belong to other cases:

• miasta – for example genitive or accusative singular, or nominative plural
• miastu – dative singular, etc.

In To miasto jest duże, we just need the basic, dictionary form: miasto.

Why does the adjective end in -e (duże) and not -y or -a?

Because adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Miasto is:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative

The matching form of duży (big) for neuter singular nominative is duże.

Compare:

• duży dom – big house (masculine)
• duża książka – big book (feminine)
• duże miasto – big city (neuter)

So in To miasto jest duże, the adjective duże is in the same gender, number, and case as miasto.

How do I know that miasto is neuter?

A common rule of thumb: many neuter nouns in Polish end with:

• -o
• -e
• -ę
• occasionally -um

Miasto ends in -o, and it behaves like a typical neuter noun:

• to miasto – this/that city
• duże miasto – a big city
• małe miasto – a small city

You still have to learn the gender with each noun, but endings are a strong clue, especially for beginners.

Could I say ten miasto or ta miasto instead of to miasto?

No. That would be wrong, because ten and ta do not match the gender of miasto.

Demonstratives in nominative singular:

• ten – masculine
• ta – feminine
• to – neuter

Since miasto is neuter, the correct form is to miasto.

Examples:

• ten dom (masculine) – this/that house
• ta książka (feminine) – this/that book
• to miasto (neuter) – this/that city

Is to miasto more like this city or that city?

It can be either, depending on context and intonation.

Polish to covers both:

• this (often for something near the speaker or just mentioned), and
• that (often for something known from context).

If you want to clearly emphasize that (over there), you can say:

• tamto miasto – that city (over there)

But in many everyday situations, to miasto can translate naturally as this city or that city.

What is the difference between To miasto jest duże and To jest duże miasto?

Both can be translated as This/That city is big, but there is a nuance:

1. To miasto jest duże

   • Literally: This/That city is big.
   • Focuses on this particular city as the topic.
   • Structure: [to miasto] (subject) – [jest] – [duże] (adjective)

2. To jest duże miasto

   • Literally: This is a big city.
   • Focuses slightly more on the classification: it is a big city (as opposed to a village, small town, etc.).
   • Structure: to (this/it) – jest – duże miasto (a big city)

In many contexts you could use either, but:

• describing a specific known city: To miasto jest duże.
• introducing or classifying: To jest duże miasto.

Can I drop jest and say To miasto duże?

In normal, full sentences: no. You should say To miasto jest duże.

Dropping jest can happen:

• in very informal speech (and even then, not so commonly in this structure),
• in headlines or titles, where verbs are often omitted.

But in standard, correct Polish, especially for a learner, keep jest:

• To miasto jest duże. ✅
• To miasto duże. ❌ (sounds like a fragment or a headline, not a full sentence)

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Miasto jest duże or Duże jest to miasto?

Polish word order is relatively flexible, but it affects emphasis.

All of these are grammatically possible:

• To miasto jest duże.
• Miasto jest duże.
• Duże jest to miasto.

Main differences:

• To miasto jest duże. – neutral, with a small emphasis on this particular city.
• Miasto jest duże. – more neutral/impersonal: The city is big. (no demonstrative)
• Duże jest to miasto. – stylistic / poetic; puts stronger emphasis on duże (big), almost like Big, this city is.

For normal conversation, To miasto jest duże and Miasto jest duże are the most common.

If the English meaning is “The city is big”, do I really need to?

Not necessarily. You can say simply:

• Miasto jest duże. – The city is big.

To miasto jest duże adds a demonstrative idea (this/that city) and points to a specific city:

• To miasto jest duże. – This/That city is big.

So:

• generic/known city: Miasto jest duże.
• specifically pointed out: To miasto jest duże.

How do I make this sentence plural: “These cities are big”?

Plural form:

• Te miasta są duże. – These cities are big.

Changes:

• to (this/that, neuter singular) → te (these, non-masculine-personal plural)
• miasto (city, singular) → miasta (cities, plural)
• jest (is) → są (are)
• duże stays duże (same form is used for neuter singular and for non-masculine-personal plural)

So:

• To miasto jest duże. – This/That city is big.
• Te miasta są duże. – These cities are big.

How do I say “a big city” in Polish, without to?

You just say:

• duże miasto – a big city

Polish does not use articles (a, an, the), so:

• duże miasto can mean a big city or the big city, depending on context.
• In a full sentence: To jest duże miasto. – This is a big city.
• Or: Miasto jest duże. – The city is big. (no article needed)