Learn Polish: To jest samochód.

Polish does not have articles like "a", "an", or "the". Depending on the context, samochód can mean "a car" or "the car". Here, "This is a car" makes the most sense in English.

The word samochód is masculine. Why doesn't To change to match its gender?

When you use the phrase To jest to introduce or point something out (meaning "This is" or "It is"), the word To is fixed. It acts as a neutral pointer and does not change to match the gender of the noun that follows it.

Why is samochód in the Nominative case here?

The Nominative case is the basic "dictionary form" of a noun. When you use the To jest structure to simply name or identify an object, the noun that follows always stays in this basic Nominative form.

Could I drop the word jest and just say To samochód?

Yes! In everyday spoken Polish, it is very common to drop the verb jest (is) in simple sentences like this. Saying To samochód is perfectly correct and means exactly the same thing.