Learn Hardcore Polish: Ta koszulka jest różowa.

Koszulka is grammatically feminine, so you must say ta koszulka.
Saying ten koszulka or to koszulka is always incorrect in standard Polish.

How can I tell that koszulka is feminine?

Many Polish nouns ending in -a are feminine, and koszulka follows this pattern.

In the basic (dictionary) form:

Most nouns ending in -a → feminine (e.g. kobieta, kawa, koszulka)
Most nouns ending in a consonant → masculine (e.g. dom, stół)
Many nouns ending in -o, -e, -ę → neuter (e.g. okno, morze, imię)

There are exceptions, but for beginners, assuming -a = feminine is a very helpful rule, and it works here.

What is the difference between koszulka and koszula?

Both are related to shirts, but:

koszula – a shirt in general, often a dress shirt with buttons and a collar.
koszulka – a diminutive form, literally “little shirt”, but in modern usage it usually means a T‑shirt or lighter top.

So in most everyday contexts, koszulka = T‑shirt.
If you want to talk about a typical button-up shirt, you’d use koszula.

Why does różowa end in -a? I saw różowy as the basic form of the adjective “pink”.

The dictionary form of the color is różowy (masculine).
Adjectives in Polish change form to agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case.

Nominative singular:

Masculine: różowy (e.g. różowy sweter)
Feminine: różowa (e.g. różowa koszulka)
Neuter: różowe (e.g. różowe auto)

Because koszulka is feminine, the adjective must also be feminine: różowa.
So ta koszulka jest różowa = this (feminine) T‑shirt is pink (feminine form).

Why is it różowa, not something like an instrumental form after jest?

In Polish, after być (to be):

Predicate nouns usually appear in the instrumental case:
- On jest nauczycielem. – He is a teacher.
- To jest problemem. – This is a problem.
Predicate adjectives (like colors, qualities) normally stay in the nominative:
- On jest wysoki. – He is tall.
- Ta koszulka jest różowa. – This T‑shirt is pink.

Since różowa is an adjective, it stays in nominative feminine singular to match koszulka.

Can I drop jest and say only Ta koszulka różowa?

No, not in standard Polish.

In Polish, the verb być (to be) is normally required in the present tense in sentences like this:

Ta koszulka jest różowa. – correct
Ta koszulka różowa. – sounds wrong / broken to native speakers

Unlike some other Slavic languages, Polish does not usually omit jest in simple present‑tense sentences of this type.

Can I change the word order, like Różowa jest ta koszulka or Koszulka ta jest różowa?

Yes, Polish word order is relatively flexible, but different orders sound more or less natural or add emphasis:

Ta koszulka jest różowa.
– Most neutral, everyday version.
Różowa jest ta koszulka.
– Emphasizes the color: “Pink is what this T‑shirt is (as opposed to some other color).” Often used contrastively.
Koszulka ta jest różowa.
– Grammatically fine but more formal or stylized; you’ll see similar structures in writing, less in casual speech.

For a normal, neutral statement, Ta koszulka jest różowa is the best default.

How do I pronounce koszulka and różowa?

Key points:

koszulka – ko-SZUL-ka
- sz = like English sh in ship
- u = like oo in boot
- ł = like English w in we
- Stress is on the second-to-last syllable: kos-ZUL-ka
różowa – roo-ZHO-va
- ó = same sound as u, like oo in boot
- ż = like the s in measure or vision
- w = like English v
- Stress: ró-ŻO-wa → ru-ZHO-va

Polish almost always stresses the second-to-last syllable, which helps a lot with new words.

How would I say “These T‑shirts are pink” in Polish?

You need plural forms of the demonstrative, noun, verb, and adjective:

Te koszulki są różowe.

Breakdown:

te – plural nominative for feminine (and non‑masculine personal) nouns
koszulki – plural nominative of koszulka
są – 3rd person plural of być (they are)
różowe – plural nominative adjective matching koszulki

So the pattern extends: singular Ta koszulka jest różowa. → plural Te koszulki są różowe.

Why sometimes do I see tę koszulkę or z tą koszulką, but here it’s ta koszulka?

This is about cases. Polish changes the forms of both the noun and the demonstrative depending on the grammatical role:

Nominative (subject, dictionary form)
- ta koszulka – this T‑shirt (as subject)
- Ta koszulka jest różowa.
Accusative (direct object)
- tę koszulkę – this T‑shirt (object)
- Lubię tę koszulkę. – I like this T‑shirt.
Instrumental (after certain prepositions and after z meaning “with”)
- tą koszulką – with this T‑shirt
- Idę z tą koszulką. – I’m going with this T‑shirt.

So in Ta koszulka jest różowa, the T‑shirt is the subject → nominative → ta koszulka.