Learn Polish: Czy to jest nowe okno?

Czy to jest nowe okno?

Is this a new window?

Breakdown of Czy to jest nowe okno?

Questions & Answers about Czy to jest nowe okno?

Why does the adjective nowe end in -e instead of -y or -a?

It ends in -e because it has to match the gender of the noun it describes. The noun okno (window) ends in -o, which makes it a neuter noun. For neuter nouns in the nominative (subject) case, the adjective usually takes the -e ending, making it nowe.

Since okno is a neuter noun, does the word to also change to match it?

In this specific type of phrase, the word to acts as a fixed pointer. We always say to jest to mean this is, regardless of whether the following noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter.

What is the purpose of the word Czy at the beginning?

Czy acts like a spoken question mark. You put it at the very beginning of a sentence to turn a normal statement into a yes-or-no question. Without it, To jest nowe okno just means this is a new window.

Can I leave out the word jest and just say Czy to nowe okno?

Yes, you can! In everyday spoken Polish, it is very common to drop the verb jest (is) in simple identification sentences. Both Czy to jest nowe okno? and Czy to nowe okno? are perfectly correct and natural.