Learn Polish: To właśnie jej nominacja była wielkim triumfem. - It was precisely her nomination that was a great triumph.

To właśnie jej nominacja była wielkim triumfem.

It was precisely her nomination that was a great triumph.

Breakdown of To właśnie jej nominacja była wielkim triumfem.

just, exactly; just now

Questions & Answers about To właśnie jej nominacja była wielkim triumfem.

How does to właśnie create the 'It was precisely...' meaning here?

In Polish, instead of just using vocal stress like in English, we often use the particle to or to właśnie to create emphatic fronting. It acts like a spotlight, heavily emphasizing the phrase that immediately follows it, which in this case is jej nominacja.

Why is the verb była feminine instead of neuter to match to?

The word to in this sentence is just an emphatic particle, not the grammatical subject. The actual subject is the feminine noun nominacja, so the verb must agree with it and take the feminine form była.

Why do we use the instrumental case for wielkim triumfem?

When using the verb być (to be) to link a subject to a noun phrase that defines what it is, that noun phrase must be in the instrumental case. Because triumf is a masculine noun, both the adjective and the noun take the instrumental endings.

Can I separate to and właśnie to change the emphasis?

No, to właśnie functions as a fixed unit here meaning 'precisely this'. You should not split them up. They must stay together and sit directly in front of the element you want to highlight.