Questions & Answers about Ta zmiana była trudna dla całej rodziny.
Why is it ta zmiana and not ten zmiana or to zmiana?
In Polish, demonstratives (ten / ta / to) must agree with the noun in gender, number and case.
- ten – masculine singular (e.g. ten dom – this house)
- ta – feminine singular (e.g. ta książka – this book)
- to – neuter singular (e.g. to dziecko – this child)
The noun zmiana is feminine, so you must use ta:
- ta zmiana = this/that change
Using ten zmiana or to zmiana would be grammatically incorrect, because the genders don’t match.
How do I know that zmiana is feminine?
Most nouns ending in -a in the basic dictionary form (nominative singular) are feminine in Polish:
- kobieta (woman) – feminine
- rodzina (family) – feminine
- zmiana (change) – feminine
There are a few exceptions (e.g. some male professions: mężczyzna, kolega) but zmiana is a regular feminine noun. A dictionary will also mark the gender, usually with f (for feminine).
Why is it była, not był or było?