Word
To małe dziecko tam śpi.
Meaning
This small child is sleeping there.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about To małe dziecko tam śpi.
Why does the adjective end in '-e' in małe?
In Polish, adjectives change their endings to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because dziecko (child) is a neuter noun, the adjective takes the neuter ending -e, making it małe.
How can I tell that dziecko is a neuter noun?
You can usually tell a noun's gender by its last letter in the dictionary form. Most Polish nouns that end in -o, like dziecko, are neuter. This is why it requires neuter adjectives like małe.
Does To mean 'It' or 'This' in this sentence?
Here, it translates to 'This'. When to is placed directly before a neuter noun like dziecko, it acts as a pointing word (a demonstrative) matching the neuter gender. So To małe dziecko means 'This small child'.
Why is the verb just śpi for 'is sleeping'? Is there no word for 'is'?
Polish does not have a separate 'is doing' tense like English. The single verb śpi can mean both 'sleeps' as a daily habit and 'is sleeping' right now. Translating the English word 'is' into this Polish sentence would be incorrect.