Zakurzony gramofon nie jest zniszczony.

to be

Breakdown of Zakurzony gramofon nie jest zniszczony.

• nie: not
• zniszczony: badly worn or ruined
• zakurzony: dusty

Questions & Answers about Zakurzony gramofon nie jest zniszczony.

Why do zakurzony and zniszczony both end in -y?

Because they agree with gramofon, which is a masculine singular noun.

In Polish, adjectives must match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• gramofon = masculine singular
• subject of the sentence = nominative
• so the adjective forms are zakurzony and zniszczony

If the noun changed, the adjective endings would change too:

• zakurzona płyta = a dusty record
• zakurzone radio = a dusty radio
• zakurzone gramofony = dusty gramophones

What case is gramofon, and why are the adjectives in that form?

Gramofon is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The sentence structure is:

• Zakurzony gramofon = the subject
• nie jest = the verb phrase
• zniszczony = a predicate adjective describing the subject

After być (to be), predicate adjectives are normally also in the nominative:

• On jest zmęczony.
• Dom jest stary.
• Gramofon jest zniszczony.

So both adjectives are in forms that match a masculine singular nominative noun.

Is zakurzony just an adjective, or is it related to a verb?