Ta rysa jest mała.

Because rysa is a feminine singular noun in Polish.

Polish this changes for gender:

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

Since rysa is feminine, you say ta rysa.

A very common clue is the ending -a in the dictionary form (nominative singular). Many Polish nouns ending in -a are feminine, and rysa is one of them.

So:

• rysa = a feminine noun
• therefore ta rysa
• and the adjective must also match: mała

Adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Because rysa is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative here

the adjective takes the feminine singular nominative form:

• masculine: mały
• feminine: mała
• neuter: małe

So mała matches rysa correctly.

Jest means is.

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

So:

• Ta rysa = this scratch
• jest = is
• mała = small

In Polish, the verb to be is often omitted in the present tense only in some informal or stylistic contexts with certain predicate types, but in a basic sentence like this, jest is completely normal and standard.

In standard Polish, Ta rysa jest mała is the normal full sentence.

Leaving out jest here would usually sound incomplete or unnatural to learners in ordinary standard speech. So for a beginner, it is best to keep jest.

Polish is a more inflected language than English. Words often change their endings to show grammatical information.

Here:

• ta changes because it must match the noun’s gender, number, and case
• mała also changes for the same reason

English does not do this much:

• this scratch is small
• this mark is small
• this thing is small

But in Polish, agreement is important:

• ta rysa jest mała
• ten dom jest mały
• to okno jest małe

It is in the nominative case.

Why? Because rysa is the subject of the sentence: This scratch is small.

The basic nominative form is what you usually see in dictionaries. Here all three agreeing words are in nominative singular feminine:

• ta
• rysa
• mała

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English.

The most neutral version is:

• Ta rysa jest mała.

You can also say:

• Rysa jest mała. = The scratch is small / This scratch is small depending on context
• Mała jest ta rysa. = more marked, often emphasizing small
• Ta mała rysa = this small scratch (now the adjective is directly before the noun, not after jest)

So the original sentence is the most straightforward and neutral one.

A helpful approximate pronunciation is:

RIH-sah, but with the Polish y, which is not exactly the English i sound.

Notes:

• r = rolled or tapped
• y = a central vowel, somewhat like the vowel in roses for some speakers, but not exactly
• s = plain s
• a = like a in father

So try something like RIH-sah, while keeping the y distinctly Polish.

Approximately: MAH-wa

Important detail:

• Polish ł is pronounced like English w

So:

• m = m
• a = ah
• ł = w
• a = ah

That gives MAH-wa.

They are different gender forms of the adjective small in the singular nominative:

• mały = masculine
• mała = feminine
• małe = neuter

Examples:

• Ten dom jest mały. = This house is small.
• Ta rysa jest mała. = This scratch is small.
• To okno jest małe. = This window is small.

Yes. Depending on context, rysa can mean things like:

• a scratch
• a crack
• a flaw
• sometimes a line or feature in a more figurative sense

So even if the meaning is already given to you, it is useful to know that the exact English translation may change with context.

Usually, yes. In Polish, ta can often mean this or that, depending on context.

Polish does have ways to emphasize that, for example:

• tamta rysa = that scratch over there / that one

So:

• ta rysa = this scratch / that scratch, depending on context
• tamta rysa = that scratch (more clearly contrasted or distant)

Polish does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So rysa can mean:

• a scratch
• the scratch

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why Ta rysa is literally closer to this scratch, with no separate word for the or a anywhere in the sentence.