Ta sukienka jest ładna, ale tamta jest tańsza.

Because sukienka is a feminine singular noun, and the words that describe or point to it must match its gender and number.

In this sentence:

• ta sukienka = this dress
• jest ładna = is pretty
• tamta jest tańsza = that one is cheaper

All of these feminine singular forms take -a here:

• ta = this (feminine)
• ładna = pretty (feminine)
• tańsza = cheaper (feminine)

If the noun were masculine or neuter, the forms would be different.

Both are demonstratives, but they point to different things:

• ta = this
• tamta = that

So:

• ta sukienka = this dress
• tamta = that one / that dress

A useful way to think about tamta is that it refers to something more distant, like that one over there.

Because Polish often leaves out a noun when it is already obvious from context.

So instead of saying:

• Ta sukienka jest ładna, ale tamta sukienka jest tańsza

Polish naturally says:

• Ta sukienka jest ładna, ale tamta jest tańsza

Here tamta means that one, with sukienka understood.

English does the same thing:

• This dress is nice, but that one is cheaper.

Jest means is. In standard Polish, it is normally used in sentences like this.

So:

• Ta sukienka jest ładna = This dress is pretty
• tamta jest tańsza = that one is cheaper

In casual speech, Polish speakers sometimes omit jest, especially in informal situations, but for learners it is best to keep it. Using jest here is completely normal and correct.

Tańsza is the comparative form of tania / tani, meaning cheaper.

Base adjective:

• tani = cheap (masculine)
• tania = cheap (feminine)

Comparative:

• tańszy = cheaper (masculine)
• tańsza = cheaper (feminine)

So the sentence uses tańsza because it refers to sukienka, which is feminine.

This is not made with a separate word like English more. Polish often builds the comparative directly into the adjective.

Usually, no. The natural form is tańsza.

Polish has two main ways to make comparisons:

• with a special comparative form: ładniejsza, tańsza, większa
• with bardziej
  • adjective, usually when no simple comparative is used naturally

For tani, the standard comparative is definitely tańsza, not bardziej tania.

So:

• tamta jest tańsza = natural
• tamta jest bardziej tania = unnatural

Ładna usually means something like:

• pretty
• nice-looking
• attractive

For clothes, it can often be translated as nice or pretty, depending on context.

So Ta sukienka jest ładna could be understood as:

• This dress is pretty
• This dress is nice

It is a common, everyday word and not as strong as beautiful.

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English, but this version is the most neutral and natural.

The basic pattern here is:

• subject + jest + adjective

So:

• Ta sukienka jest ładna
• tamta jest tańsza

You may see other word orders for emphasis, but as a learner, this is the safest one to use.

Ale means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Ta sukienka jest ładna = This dress is pretty
• tamta jest tańsza = but that one is cheaper

So the full sentence contrasts appearance and price.

Its position works much like English but:

• statement 1 + ale
  • statement 2

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• tańsza ≈ TAN-sha, but with a nasal sound in the middle

A few useful pronunciation points:

• ń sounds like a soft n
• sz sounds like English sh
• ą before sz is often pronounced close to on or a nasal vowel sound

So learners often approximate it as TAHN-sha or TAN-sha.

It does not sound like it is spelled in English, so it is worth listening to native audio if possible.

Yes, that helps a lot.

In dictionaries, Polish adjectives are usually listed in the masculine singular form, for example:

• ładny = pretty/nice
• tani = cheap

But in your sentence they appear in feminine singular forms because of sukienka:

• ładna
• tańsza

So when learning vocabulary, it is useful to remember:

• dictionary form: ładny, tani
• feminine forms in context: ładna, tania / tańsza

This will make Polish agreement patterns much easier to recognize.