Ten fotel jest używany.

Because fotel is a masculine singular noun, and ten is the demonstrative form that matches masculine singular nouns in the nominative.

A quick comparison:

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

So:

• ten fotel = this armchair
• ta sofa = this sofa
• to krzesło = this chair

Polish words often have to agree in gender like this.

Not quite. Fotel usually means armchair or easy chair, not a basic chair in general.

So:

• fotel = armchair / upholstered chair
• krzesło = chair

This is a very common thing for English speakers to notice, because English chair can be broader than Polish fotel.

It is made of two parts:

• jest = is
• używany = used

Together, jest używany means is used or is being used, depending on context.

Grammatically, używany is a form related to the verb używać (to use) and works here like a passive participle/adjective.

So the structure is basically:

• Ten fotel = subject
• jest używany = predicate

It can mean either, depending on context.

Common possibilities:

• Ten fotel jest używany. = This armchair is being used.
• Ten fotel jest używany. = This armchair is used / second-hand.

In real life, context usually makes it clear.

If you want to be very explicit:

• jest właśnie używany = is being used right now
• jest używany, nie nowy = is used, not new / second-hand

This ambiguity is normal.

Because it agrees with fotel, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective/participle takes the matching masculine singular form:

• używany for masculine
• używana for feminine
• używane for neuter

For example:

• Ten fotel jest używany.
• Ta sofa jest używana.
• To krzesło jest używane.

This kind of agreement is one of the most important patterns in Polish.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The subject is the thing being described:

• Ten fotel = the thing we are talking about
• jest używany = what we say about it

So this is the basic subject + to be + adjective/participle pattern.

No. Ten means this, not the.

Polish does not have articles like a and the.

So:

• fotel can mean an armchair, the armchair, or just armchair, depending on context
• ten fotel specifically means this armchair

English speakers often look for a direct equivalent of the, but Polish usually just does without it.

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, straightforward version is:

• Ten fotel jest używany.

But depending on emphasis, you might also hear:

• Używany jest ten fotel.
• Ten używany fotel... (if changing the structure of the sentence)

Still, the original sentence is the most natural basic order for a learner.

A simple English-friendly guide:

• ten ≈ ten
• fotel ≈ FO-tehl
• jest ≈ yest
• używany ≈ oo-zhi-VA-nih

A few helpful notes:

• j in Polish sounds like English y
• ż sounds like the s in measure
• stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable, so:
  • FO-tel
  • u-ży-WA-ny

It comes from the verb używać, which means to use.

So the relationship is:

• używać = to use
• używany = used / being used

This is very useful because once you know the base verb, forms like używany become easier to recognize.

In standard Polish, you normally keep jest in a sentence like this.

So:

• Ten fotel jest używany. = correct

Leaving it out would generally sound incomplete or unnatural in standard usage.

This is different from some other Slavic languages where the present-tense to be may be omitted more often.

Not as a complete sentence with the same meaning.

• Ten fotel jest używany. = complete sentence: This armchair is used / is being used
• ten fotel używany by itself sounds incomplete, like part of a noun phrase

For example:

• ten używany fotel = this used armchair

That is a noun phrase, not a full sentence.

So the position and function matter:

• jest używany = predicate in a sentence
• używany fotel = adjective + noun phrase

This is an important distinction.

• używany fotel = a used armchair / the used armchair
• fotel jest używany = the armchair is used / the armchair is being used

So:

1. używany fotel
   Here używany directly describes the noun.

2. fotel jest używany
   Here używany is part of what is being said about the subject.

English has the same basic difference:

• a used chair
• the chair is used

Yes. If you change jest, you change the tense.

For example:

• Ten fotel jest używany. = present
• Ten fotel był używany. = past
• Ten fotel będzie używany. = future

So jest is specifically the present tense form of to be here.