Na talerzu została tylko resztka ciasta.

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Breakdown of Na talerzu została tylko resztka ciasta.

• tylko: only
• ciasto: the cake
• talerz: the plate

Questions & Answers about Na talerzu została tylko resztka ciasta.

Why is it została and not zostało or była?

Because the grammatical subject is resztka (a small leftover bit / a remnant), and resztka is:

• feminine
• singular

So the past-tense verb must agree with it:

• została = feminine singular
• zostało = neuter singular
• zostały = non-masculine personal plural, etc.

Also, zostać here means to remain / to be left, not just to be.

So:

• Na talerzu była tylko resztka ciasta = There was only a bit of cake on the plate
• Na talerzu została tylko resztka ciasta = Only a bit of cake was left on the plate

The version with została emphasizes that this is what remained after the rest was gone.

Why is resztka feminine, and how can I tell?

In Polish, many nouns ending in -a are feminine, and resztka is one of them.

Dictionary form:

• resztka = a small remainder, a scrap, a leftover bit

Because it is feminine, the past tense is:

• została

If the subject were masculine, you would get:

• został

If it were neuter:

• zostało

So the ending of the verb is one of the main clues showing the gender of the subject.

Why is it na talerzu and not na talerz?