Ten gramofon jest zniszczony.

Because gramofon is a masculine singular noun in Polish.

The demonstrative this changes its form depending on the gender of the noun:

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

So:

• ten gramofon = this gramophone / this record player
• ta książka = this book
• to okno = this window

Since gramofon is masculine, ten is the correct form.

Because zniszczony has to agree with gramofon.

In Polish, adjectives usually match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here, gramofon is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective also appears in the masculine singular nominative form:

• zniszczony = masculine
• compare:
  • zniszczona = feminine
  • zniszczone = neuter

Examples:

• Ten gramofon jest zniszczony.
• Ta płyta jest zniszczona.
• To krzesło jest zniszczone.

Jest means is.

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

So the sentence structure is:

• Ten gramofon = this gramophone
• jest = is
• zniszczony = damaged / ruined / destroyed

Polish often drops forms of to be in the present tense only in some very limited situations? Actually, no: in normal standard Polish, jest is usually kept in sentences like this. So you generally say:

• Ten gramofon jest zniszczony.

Not:

• Ten gramofon zniszczony. ✗

It is related to the verb zniszczyć, which means to destroy, to damage, or to ruin.

Zniszczony is a form that behaves like an adjective and means something like:

• destroyed
• damaged
• ruined
• worn out

So in this sentence, it describes the condition of the gramophone.

English does something similar with words like broken, damaged, or destroyed.

Not always.

Depending on context, zniszczony can mean:

• damaged
• ruined
• worn out
• destroyed

So Ten gramofon jest zniszczony could mean the gramophone is badly damaged, worn out, or ruined. It does not always have to mean it has been totally smashed beyond repair.

If you want to know the exact degree of damage, context matters.

It is in the nominative case.

That is because gramofon is the subject of the sentence:

• Ten gramofon = the thing being talked about

The adjective zniszczony also appears in a nominative form here because it describes the subject after jest.

So this is a basic subject + to be + adjective sentence.

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English.

The most neutral order is:

• Ten gramofon jest zniszczony.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Zniszczony jest ten gramofon.
• Ten gramofon zniszczony jest. — possible, but less natural in everyday speech

Even though the order can change, the basic sentence learners should use first is:

• Ten gramofon jest zniszczony.

That is the most straightforward and natural form.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• ten → like ten
• gramofon → gra-MO-fon
• jest → roughly yest
• zniszczony → roughly znee-SHCHO-ny

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• j in Polish sounds like English y
• sz sounds like sh
• cz sounds like ch
• zn at the beginning of zniszczony can feel a bit difficult at first, but Polish allows that cluster naturally

A rough full pronunciation: ten gra-MO-fon yest znee-SHCHO-ny

Because Polish does not have articles like English a and the.

So Polish simply says:

• Ten gramofon jest zniszczony.

The meaning of definiteness is usually understood from context, or expressed with words like:

• ten = this
• tamten = that

So instead of using the, Polish often just leaves it unspoken unless context needs something more specific.

You make it negative by changing jest to nie jest:

• Ten gramofon nie jest zniszczony. = This gramophone is not damaged.

Nie is the normal Polish word for not.

So:

• jest = is
• nie jest = is not

In everyday Polish, you can often make it a yes/no question just by using intonation:

• Ten gramofon jest zniszczony? = Is this gramophone damaged?

You can also add czy at the beginning for a clearer question:

• Czy ten gramofon jest zniszczony?

This is very common and natural.

The demonstrative and adjective would both change to match the noun.

Examples:

• Ta lampa jest zniszczona. = This lamp is damaged.
• To krzesło jest zniszczone. = This chair is damaged.
• Te meble są zniszczone. = These pieces of furniture are damaged.

Notice the changes:

• ten / ta / to / te
• zniszczony / zniszczona / zniszczone
• jest becomes są in the plural

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

Not necessarily.

Depending on context, gramofon can refer to:

• a traditional gramophone
• a record player
• sometimes even a turntable, depending on how loosely the speaker is using the word

So the exact English translation depends on the situation. But grammatically, the Polish sentence works the same way no matter which English word fits best.