Pierwsza runda jest łatwa.

Because runda is a feminine noun in Polish, and the adjective/ordinal has to match it.

• runda = feminine singular
• so first becomes pierwsza
• and easy becomes łatwa

Compare:

• pierwszy mecz = first match (masculine)
• pierwsza runda = first round (feminine)
• pierwsze pytanie = first question (neuter)

Polish adjectives change form to agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case.

For the same reason: it must agree with runda, which is feminine.

The basic dictionary form is usually łatwy = easy, but that is the masculine form. Here you need the feminine singular form:

• łatwy = masculine
• łatwa = feminine
• łatwe = neuter

So:

• Ten test jest łatwy. = This test is easy.
• Ta runda jest łatwa. = This round is easy.

Pierwsza means first.

It is an ordinal number in Polish, like:

• pierwszy / pierwsza / pierwsze = first
• drugi / druga / drugie = second
• trzeci / trzecia / trzecie = third

In this sentence, pierwsza runda means the first round.

Polish often does not use articles like the or a, so pierwsza runda can mean the first round depending on context.

Because Polish has no articles. There is no direct equivalent of English a/an or the in normal sentences.

So:

• Pierwsza runda can mean the first round
• Runda can mean a round or the round

The exact meaning depends on context.

This is very normal in Polish, and learners have to get used to understanding definiteness from the situation rather than from a separate word.

Jest means is.

It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb być = to be.

So:

• Pierwsza runda = the first round
• jest = is
• łatwa = easy

Together: Pierwsza runda jest łatwa. = The first round is easy.

In the present tense, Polish normally does not omit jest in a sentence like this.

So you say:

• Pierwsza runda jest łatwa.

not:

• Pierwsza runda łatwa. ❌

Polish sometimes drops pronouns like on, ona, ja, but not the verb to be in standard present-tense sentences of this type.

Yes, Polish word order is fairly flexible, because grammatical endings carry a lot of information.

The most neutral version is:

• Pierwsza runda jest łatwa.

You could also say:

• Łatwa jest pierwsza runda.
• Jest łatwa pierwsza runda. (possible in some contexts, but less neutral)

Changing the order usually changes the emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For example:

• Pierwsza runda jest łatwa. = neutral statement
• Łatwa jest pierwsza runda. = emphasis on easy

For learners, it is best to start with the neutral order: subject + jest + adjective.

It is in the nominative case.

That is because runda is the subject of the sentence:

• Pierwsza runda = the first round
• jest łatwa = is easy

In simple X is Y sentences, the subject is normally in the nominative.

Also, the adjective pierwsza matches runda in nominative feminine singular.

In this kind of sentence, the predicate adjective usually matches the subject in gender, number, and case, so it appears in the nominative too.

So:

• runda = nominative feminine singular
• łatwa = nominative feminine singular

This is similar to:

• Kawa jest gorąca. = The coffee is hot.
• Książka jest ciekawa. = The book is interesting.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• Pierwsza ≈ PYERF-sha
• runda ≈ ROON-da
• jest ≈ yest
• łatwa ≈ WAHT-va

A few pronunciation notes:

• ie after p in pier- sounds roughly like pye
• rz here sounds like zh/sh-like, but in pierwsza the cluster is often heard roughly as fsh
• j in Polish sounds like English y
• ł sounds like English w
• tw in łatwa is pronounced clearly, close to tv/tw depending on speech

A more natural approximate pronunciation would be: PYERF-sha ROON-da yest WAHT-va

Yes, runda is a feminine noun.

You can often recognize feminine nouns because many of them end in -a, though this is not a perfect rule.

Because runda is feminine, words describing it must also be feminine:

• ta runda = this round
• pierwsza runda = first round
• łatwa runda = easy round

Yes, in many contexts that would be a very natural English translation.

Depending on context, pierwsza runda could be translated as:

• the first round
• round one

Both are valid if the meaning is already clear from the situation.

You would say:

• Pierwsze rundy są łatwe.

Changes:

• pierwsza → pierwsze
• runda → rundy
• jest → są
• łatwa → łatwe

So the whole sentence changes to match the plural subject.

You would say:

• Pierwsza runda nie jest łatwa. = The first round is not easy.

Polish negates this by putting nie before jest.

So:

• jest = is
• nie jest = is not

Yes. The pattern is very common:

[noun phrase] + jest + [adjective]

Examples:

• Pierwszy test jest łatwy. = The first test is easy.
• Pierwsza lekcja jest łatwa. = The first lesson is easy.
• Pierwsze pytanie jest łatwe. = The first question is easy.

Notice how both pierwszy/pierwsza/pierwsze and łatwy/łatwa/łatwe change depending on the noun.