Ten problem jest prostszy niż tamten.

to be

Breakdown of Ten problem jest prostszy niż tamten.

• ten: this
• problem: the problem
• niż: than

Questions & Answers about Ten problem jest prostszy niż tamten.

Why is it ten problem, not to problem?

Because problem is a masculine singular noun in the nominative case, and ten is the matching form of this for masculine nouns.

Polish demonstratives change to match the noun’s:

• gender
• number
• case

So:

• ten problem = this problem (masculine)
• ta książka = this book (feminine)
• to pytanie = this question (neuter)

What does tamten mean here?

Tamten means that one or that.

In this sentence, it stands for tamten problem = that problem, but Polish often leaves out the repeated noun when it is obvious from context.

So:

• Ten problem jest prostszy niż tamten. literally = This problem is simpler than that one.

Why is problem masculine in Polish?

In Polish, problem is a masculine noun. Many masculine nouns end in a consonant, and problem follows that pattern.

So in the nominative singular:

• ten problem
• ten dom
• ten student

This is something you mainly have to learn with the noun, because grammatical gender in Polish does not always match what an English speaker might expect.