Ten papier jest za cienki do drukarki.

Ten means this and agrees with papier in gender, number, and case.

• ten = masculine singular
• ta = feminine singular
• to = neuter singular

Because papier is a masculine noun in Polish, you say ten papier.

In Polish, every noun has a grammatical gender. Papier is masculine inanimate.

A common clue is that many masculine nouns end in a consonant in the dictionary form, and papier does exactly that.

This is grammatical gender, not natural gender. So even though paper is not "male" in any real-world sense, Polish still treats papier as masculine for grammar purposes.

The adjective has to agree with the noun it describes.

Since papier is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective also takes the masculine singular nominative form:

• cienki = masculine singular
• cienka = feminine singular
• cienkie = neuter singular or non-masculine-personal plural in some contexts

So ten papier jest za cienki is correct because cienki matches papier.

Here, za means too.

So:

• cienki = thin
• za cienki = too thin

This is an important difference:

• bardzo cienki = very thin
• za cienki = too thin

So za does not just intensify the adjective. It suggests that something is excessively thin for some purpose.

The preposition do takes the genitive case, so drukarka changes to drukarki.

The noun is:

• dictionary form: drukarka = printer
• genitive singular after do: drukarki

So:

• do drukarki = for the printer / for a printer

This is one of the most common things learners notice in Polish: prepositions often force a specific case.

In this sentence, it means for the printer, in the sense of suitable for use in a printer.

So the whole idea is that the paper is too thin to be used in a printer.

Even though do often has a directional meaning like to or into, here it expresses purpose or suitability, which is very common in Polish.

Compare:

• papier do drukarki = paper for a printer / printer paper
• włożyć papier do drukarki = put paper into the printer

The same preposition can work differently depending on the context.

That is a very common source of confusion.

Drukarki can be:

• genitive singular of drukarka
• nominative plural of drukarka

In this sentence, it is genitive singular because the preposition do requires the genitive.

So the grammar tells you the meaning:

• do drukarki = for the printer / for a printer
• drukarki by itself could also mean printers, but not here

Polish often relies on context and case rules to make this clear.

Yes, in a normal full sentence, jest is the standard form.

Polish uses the verb być (to be) in the present tense, unlike Russian, where the present-tense to be is often omitted.

So:

• Ten papier jest za cienki do drukarki. = normal full sentence
• Ten papier za cienki do drukarki. = possible as an informal fragment, but not the standard full form

For learners, it is safest to keep jest.

Yes, absolutely.

• Ten papier jest za cienki do drukarki. = This paper is too thin for the printer.
• Papier jest za cienki do drukarki. = The paper / paper is too thin for the printer.

Adding ten makes the reference more specific, like pointing to a particular paper. Without ten, the sentence is more general or depends more on context.

Polish does not have articles like English a and the.

That means a noun like papier can mean:

• paper
• a paper
• the paper

The context tells you which meaning is intended.

If you want to make it more specific, words like ten can help:

• papier = paper / a paper / the paper
• ten papier = this paper

This is one of the biggest differences between English and Polish grammar.

Usually, do drukarki is much more natural here.

• do drukarki = suitable for a printer / intended for a printer
• dla drukarki = for the printer, more in the sense of for the benefit of the printer

Since you are talking about compatibility or intended use, do drukarki is the normal choice.

So Ten papier jest za cienki do drukarki is the idiomatic version.

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English, but not every version sounds equally natural.

The most neutral order is:

Ten papier jest za cienki do drukarki.

This is usually the best version for learners.

You can move things around for emphasis, but the sentence may sound less neutral or more marked. Polish often uses word order to highlight what is new, important, or contrasted.

So while flexibility exists, the original order is the safest and most natural choice in ordinary speech.

In this sentence, yes, it refers to physical thinness: the paper is not thick enough.

But cienki can also be used in other contexts in Polish, depending on meaning and style. For example, in informal speech it can sometimes mean something like weak or poor in quality.

Here, though, the meaning is clearly literal: the paper is too thin for printer use.