To pytanie było najtrudniejsze na egzaminie.

That question was the hardest on the exam.

Breakdown of To pytanie było najtrudniejsze na egzaminie.

• być: to be
• na: on
• pytanie: the question
• to: that

Questions & Answers about To pytanie było najtrudniejsze na egzaminie.

Why is it to pytanie and not ta pytanie?

Because pytanie is a neuter noun in Polish. Demonstratives like ten / ta / to must agree with the noun’s gender.

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

So:

• to pytanie = this question

Even though question is not neuter in English, Polish nouns have their own grammatical gender, and pytanie happens to be neuter.

What exactly does to mean here?

Here, to is a demonstrative adjective/pronoun meaning this (sometimes that, depending on context).

So to pytanie usually means:

• this question
• sometimes that question, if the context makes that clearer

Polish to is less rigid than English this/that, so context matters more.

Why is pytanie neuter? Is there a rule?

Yes, there is a useful pattern. Many Polish nouns ending in -anie, -enie, or -cie are neuter.

So:

• pytanie = question
• zadanie = task
• czytanie = reading

That does not mean every noun with a similar ending works the same way, but it is a very common pattern.