Ten zawodnik jest mocny i dobrze broni.

Ten is a demonstrative adjective. In this sentence it means this or that, depending on context, but very often in natural English the sentence is simply translated as The player is strong and defends well.

Polish uses ten / ta / to to point something out:

• ten zawodnik = this/that player
• ta kobieta = this/that woman
• to dziecko = this/that child

Here, zawodnik is a masculine noun, so ten is the correct form.

Because zawodnik is a masculine singular noun, and the demonstrative has to agree with it in gender and number.

The basic nominative forms are:

• ten for masculine
• ta for feminine
• to for neuter

So:

• ten zawodnik = this player
• ta zawodniczka = this female player/athlete
• to dziecko = this child

English does not make this kind of agreement, but Polish does.

Zawodnik usually means player, competitor, or athlete, depending on context.

Examples:

• in sports generally: athlete
• in a team game: player
• in a competition: competitor

So in this sentence, zawodnik could refer to:

• a football player
• a boxer
• a handball player
• any sports competitor

If the context is specifically a sports match, English often uses player.

In the present tense, Polish normally does not omit jest when using być (to be) in a sentence like this.

So:

• Ten zawodnik jest mocny = This player is strong

You cannot normally say:

• Ten zawodnik mocny ❌

That sounds incomplete in standard Polish.

However, in some special contexts like headlines, notes, or very informal speech, words may be dropped. But in normal full sentences, jest is needed.

Mocny literally means strong, but the exact nuance depends on context.

With a player or athlete, it can mean:

• physically strong
• powerful
• tough
• impressive in performance

So Ten zawodnik jest mocny could suggest:

• he is physically strong
• he is a strong player
• he is very capable

In sports language, Polish often uses mocny more broadly than English sometimes does.

Because dobrze is an adverb, and it modifies the verb broni.

• dobry = good (adjective)
• dobrze = well (adverb)

In English, this is the same difference as:

• a good player
• plays well

So:

• Ten zawodnik jest dobry = This player is good
• Ten zawodnik dobrze broni = This player defends well

Since broni is a verb, Polish needs the adverb dobrze.

Broni is the 3rd person singular present tense form of bronić.

Conjugation:

• ja bronię = I defend
• ty bronisz = you defend
• on/ona/ono broni = he/she/it defends
• my bronimy = we defend
• wy bronicie = you defend
• oni/one bronią = they defend

So Ten zawodnik dobrze broni literally means This player defends well.

Yes, in sports context bronić can mean more than just general defending.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• to defend
• to protect
• to make saves (especially for a goalkeeper)
• to block

So dobrze broni might mean:

• he defends well
• he is good defensively
• he saves well

If the speaker is talking about a goalkeeper, English might naturally translate it as He’s a good shot-stopper or He saves well.

Polish often omits subject pronouns when they are already clear from the context or the verb ending.

Here:

• broni already tells you the subject is he/she/it
• and the earlier noun ten zawodnik makes it clear that it is he

So:

• Ten zawodnik jest mocny i dobrze broni. = natural
• Ten zawodnik jest mocny i on dobrze broni. = possible, but usually unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis

This is different from English, where the subject usually must be stated.

The dictionary form of this adjective is mocny. It changes form depending on gender, number, and case.

Here it matches zawodnik, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the correct form is:

• mocny zawodnik / zawodnik jest mocny

Compare:

• mocna kobieta = a strong woman
• mocne dziecko = a strong child
• mocni zawodnicy = strong players

The ending -y here is the normal masculine singular nominative form.

Yes, that is grammatically correct. It just changes the emphasis slightly.

Both are fine:

• Ten zawodnik jest mocny i dobrze broni.
• Ten zawodnik dobrze broni i jest mocny.

The first version presents being strong first, then defending well. The second version emphasizes defending well first.

Polish word order is more flexible than English, though not completely free. Different orders can sound more natural depending on what you want to highlight.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

zawodnik ≈ za-VOD-neek

A bit more carefully:

• za like za in bizarre without the r
• w in Polish sounds like English v
• o is a clear o
• dnik ends with neek, though the dn cluster is pronounced together

And the stress in Polish is usually on the second-to-last syllable, so:

• za-VOD-nik

Yes, here i simply means and.

It connects two descriptions of the same subject:

• jest mocny = is strong
• dobrze broni = defends well

So:

• Ten zawodnik jest mocny i dobrze broni.

In this sentence, i is the normal and natural conjunction.

Yes, you could. Silny also means strong. But there is a nuance.

• silny often emphasizes physical strength
• mocny can mean physical strength too, but can also sound broader, like strong, powerful, or solid

In sports talk:

• silny zawodnik = a physically strong player
• mocny zawodnik = a strong/powerful/good player, sometimes more generally

So your version is correct, but it may sound slightly more specifically about physical strength.

Zawodnik is in the nominative case here.

Why? Because it is the subject of the sentence:

• Ten zawodnik = the player
• jest mocny = is strong
• dobrze broni = defends well

The nominative is the basic dictionary-type subject form.

You can also see that ten is in the nominative masculine singular form to match zawodnik.