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Ten mężczyzna czyta.

Ten mężczyzna czyta.
This man is reading.
From Lesson 4:Demonstrative pronouns (ten, ta, to)·Polish

Breakdown of Ten mężczyzna czyta.

czytać
to read
ten
this (m)
mężczyzna
man

Questions & Answers about Ten mężczyzna czyta.

Why does the sentence use the masculine word Ten when mężczyzna ends in an 'a'?
In Polish, most nouns ending in '-a' are feminine and would normally use the feminine pronoun ta (this). However, mężczyzna (man) is a very important exception. Because it refers to a male person, it is grammatically masculine and must be paired with the masculine pronoun ten.
Does czyta mean 'reads' or 'is reading'?
It means both! Polish does not have a separate continuous tense like English does. Depending on the situation, czyta translates to either 'reads' as a general habit or 'is reading' right at this moment.
Could I just say Mężczyzna czyta without using Ten?
Yes, you could. Mężczyzna czyta simply means 'The man is reading' or 'A man is reading' because Polish does not use little words for 'a' or 'the'. Adding Ten specifically points him out, changing the meaning to 'This man'.
Why isn't there a word for 'is' before the verb?
In English, we use 'is' plus an '-ing' verb to show an action happening right now (is reading). In Polish, the verb czyta all by itself contains the entire meaning of the action. You never use the Polish word for 'is' (jest) next to an action verb to say someone is doing something.

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