Nasza solistka ma mocny głos, ale ten solista śpiewa ciszej.

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Breakdown of Nasza solistka ma mocny głos, ale ten solista śpiewa ciszej.

• ale: but
• nasz: our
• ten: that

Questions & Answers about Nasza solistka ma mocny głos, ale ten solista śpiewa ciszej.

Why does solista end in -a if it refers to a man?

Because some Polish nouns for male people end in -a even though they are masculine in grammar.

So in ten solista:

• solista = a masculine noun meaning male soloist
• ten shows that it is masculine singular nominative

This is similar to other masculine nouns like:

• poeta = poet
• artysta = artist
• kolega = male friend/classmate

So the ending -a does not always mean the noun is feminine.

What is the difference between solistka and solista?

They are gendered forms of the same role:

• solistka = female soloist
• solista = male soloist

In this sentence:

• Nasza solistka = our female soloist
• ten solista = this male soloist

This kind of male/female noun pair is very common in Polish.

Why is it nasza solistka but ten solista?