To jest ważna rzecz.

This is an important thing.

Breakdown of To jest ważna rzecz.

• być: to be
• to: this
• ważny: important
• rzecz: the thing

Questions & Answers about To jest ważna rzecz.

What does each word in To jest ważna rzecz do in the sentence?

Word by word:

• To – a demonstrative pronoun, roughly “this/that/it” used as the grammatical subject here.
• jest – 3rd person singular of być (“to be”): “is”.
• ważna – the adjective ważny (“important”) in the feminine singular nominative form, agreeing with rzecz.
• rzecz – a feminine noun meaning “thing” or “matter”.

So the structure is: To (subject) + jest (verb “to be”) + ważna rzecz (complement / predicate).

Why do we use to here and not ten or ta?

In Polish there are two different uses to keep apart:

1. Demonstrative adjectives used directly with nouns:

   • ten chłopak – this/that boy (masculine)
   • ta książka – this/that book (feminine)
   • to dziecko – this/that child (neuter)

2. The special pronoun pattern in sentences like:

   • To jest ważna rzecz.
   • To jest mój dom.
   • To jest Anna.

In this second pattern, to is a fixed pronoun that introduces an identification or classification (“This / That / It is …”), and it’s used regardless of the gender of the noun that follows.

So you say:

• To jest ważna rzecz. (not Ta jest ważna rzecz.)
  but you can also say:
• Ta rzecz jest ważna. – “This thing is important.”

In short: to is part of the “To jest X” frame, not an adjective in front of rzecz.

Why is it ważna and not ważny or ważne?

Because adjectives in Polish must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.

• rzecz is feminine, singular, nominative (dictionary form).
• The adjective ważny (“important”) must therefore take the feminine singular nominative form: ważna.

Basic forms of ważny in nominative singular:

• Masculine: ważny – ważny film (an important film)
• Feminine: ważna – ważna rzecz (an important thing)
• Neuter: ważne – ważne pytanie (an important question)

So:

• To jest ważna rzecz. – correct (feminine)
• To jest ważny rzecz. – wrong (mismatch: masculine adj + feminine noun)
• To jest ważne rzecz. – wrong (neuter adj + feminine noun)

What case is ważna rzecz in, and why isn’t it ważną rzecz?

Ważna rzecz is in the nominative case (mianownik).

In sentences with To jest X, both sides of the “is” are in nominative:

• To jest ważna rzecz.
• To jest mój brat.
• To jest duży problem.

You only see ważną rzecz (accusative) when the phrase is a direct object, not a complement of “to be”:

• Mam ważną rzecz. – “I have an important thing.” (object → accusative)
• Widzę ważną rzecz. – “I see an important thing.”

So after to jest, use nominative: ważna rzecz, not ważną rzecz.

Can I drop jest and just say To ważna rzecz?

Yes. Both are correct:

• To jest ważna rzecz.
• To ważna rzecz.

In everyday speech and informal writing, Poles often omit jest in the present tense when the meaning is clear. It sounds natural and neutral:

• To dobry pomysł. – That’s a good idea.
• To trudne pytanie. – That’s a difficult question.

Including jest can sound slightly more explicit or careful, and it’s very normal too. For a learner, using jest is always safe; later you can start omitting it where native speakers do.

Can I change the word order, like Rzecz jest ważna or Ważna jest rzecz? Do they mean the same?

They are all grammatical, but there are differences in feel and focus.

1. To jest ważna rzecz.

   • Very common, quite neutral.
   • “This/That is an important thing.”
   • Introduces or identifies something as an important thing.

2. Rzecz jest ważna.

   • Literally “The thing is important.”
   • More like a simple statement about this particular thing that is already known from context.

3. Ważna jest rzecz.

   • Possible, but sounds more stylistic or poetic, or with emphasis on ważna (“important”).
   • More like: “What is important is the thing.” / “The important thing is the thing itself.”

So:

• To introduce or point at something: To jest ważna rzecz.
• To comment on a known thing: Rzecz jest ważna.

How do you pronounce ważna rzecz?

Approximate pronunciation (in English-like terms):

• ważna → roughly VAHZH-na

  • w = like English v
  • a = like a in “father”
  • ż = like s in “measure” or zh
  • na = na as in “NASA”

• rzecz → roughly ZHETCH

  • rz = same sound as ż, like the s in “measure” or zh
  • e = like e in “bet”
  • cz = like ch in “church”

Together: ważna rzecz ≈ VAHZH-na ZHETCH (with both ż and rz pronounced the same).

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” in ważna rzecz?

Polish has no articles like English a/an/the.

Noun phrases such as ważna rzecz can mean:

• “an important thing”
• “the important thing”
• sometimes just “important thing(s)” in a general, abstract sense

Which English article you choose depends on the context, not on any word in Polish. The bare phrase covers all of those possibilities.

How do I make this plural, as in “These are important things”?

The plural of To jest ważna rzecz is:

• To są ważne rzeczy. – “These are important things.”

Changes:

• jest (is) → są (are) – 3rd person plural of być.
• ważna → ważne – adjective in non‑masculine personal plural nominative.
• rzecz → rzeczy – plural nominative of the noun.

So the pattern is:

• Singular: To jest ważna rzecz.
• Plural: To są ważne rzeczy.

What is the difference between To jest ważna rzecz and To jest ważne?

Both talk about importance, but they feel different:

• To jest ważna rzecz.

  • Literally: “This/That is an important thing.”
  • You explicitly frame whatever you’re talking about as a “thing” or “matter”.
  • Slightly more concrete: “This is an important matter/issue.”

• To jest ważne.

  • Literally: “This/That is important.”
  • More general and abstract, not naming it as a “thing”.
  • Might be used when the type of thing is obvious or unimportant: “It’s important.”

In many contexts both are possible; ważna rzecz just highlights that you see it as a specific “thing/matter”.