Ten koc jest cieńszy niż tamten.

to be

Breakdown of Ten koc jest cieńszy niż tamten.

• ten: this
• niż: than
• tamten: that

Questions & Answers about Ten koc jest cieńszy niż tamten.

What is the exact difference between ten and tamten?

Both are demonstratives (like this/that), but:

• ten = this (near the speaker)
• tamten = that (over there) / that one (further away)

In the sentence Ten koc jest cieńszy niż tamten, it’s literally:

• Ten koc – this blanket
• tamten – that one (blanket)

So the sentence means: This blanket is thinner than that one.

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

Because koc (blanket) is grammatically masculine in Polish.

• ten – used with masculine nouns (e.g. ten koc, ten kot)
• ta – used with feminine nouns (e.g. ta książka)
• to – used with neuter nouns (e.g. to okno)

So, for koc, the correct form in the nominative singular is ten koc.
Ta koc or to koc would be ungrammatical.

What gender is koc, and does it matter for the whole sentence?