Ta pani czyta gazetę w poczekalni.

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Breakdown of Ta pani czyta gazetę w poczekalni.

• czytać: to read
• gazeta: the newspaper
• ta: that

Questions & Answers about Ta pani czyta gazetę w poczekalni.

Why is it ta pani and not ten pani or to pani?

Because pani is a feminine noun, and ta is the feminine singular nominative form of this/that.

Polish demonstratives change for gender:

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

So:

• ta pani = this lady / that lady

What exactly does pani mean here?

In this sentence, pani means lady, woman, or sometimes madam, depending on context.

It is also a very important Polish word because Pani can be used:

• as a noun: a lady / a woman
• as a polite form of address: Mrs / Ms / ma’am
• as a polite pronoun: you when speaking respectfully to a woman

Here, it is simply a noun in the phrase ta pani = this lady.

Why is there no word for the or a?