Ta kołysanka jest spokojna, więc dziecko szybko zasypia.

This lullaby is calm, so the child falls asleep quickly.

Breakdown of Ta kołysanka jest spokojna, więc dziecko szybko zasypia.

• być: to be
• dziecko: the child
• szybko: quickly
• więc: so

Questions & Answers about Ta kołysanka jest spokojna, więc dziecko szybko zasypia.

What does ta mean here, and why isn’t there a separate word for the?

Ta means this and sometimes, depending on context, can feel close to that.

It is not a Polish word for the, because Polish does not have articles like English a and the. So:

• Kołysanka jest spokojna = The lullaby is calm / A lullaby is calm
• Ta kołysanka jest spokojna = This lullaby is calm

Adding ta makes the noun more specific.

Why is it ta, not ten or to?

Because ta has to match the grammatical gender of kołysanka.

In Polish, demonstratives change by gender:

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

Kołysanka is a feminine noun, so the correct form is ta kołysanka.

How do I know that kołysanka is feminine?

A very common clue is the ending -a. Most Polish nouns ending in -a are feminine.

So:

• kołysanka = feminine
• therefore ta
• therefore spokojna

This is why both the demonstrative and the adjective use feminine forms.

Why is it and not ?