Questions & Answers about To jest kawa i herbata.
Why do we use i instead of a for "and" in this sentence?
We use i because it simply links two items together to make a list. The conjunction a can also mean "and," but it is used to show a contrast between two different things or situations (like "This is coffee, and/while that is tea"). Since we are just listing two drinks together, i is the correct choice.
Would it make sense to use ale here instead of i?
Only if you wanted to say "This is coffee, but tea," which doesn't make much sense! The word ale strictly means "but" and introduces a strong contrast or exception. To simply connect two nouns without contrasting them, you need i.
Since we are pointing to two things (coffee and tea), why does the sentence use the singular verb jest instead of the plural są?
When you use the word to to introduce items, the verb usually matches the grammatical number of the very next noun. Because kawa is singular, we use the singular verb jest, even though another item comes after it.
Why don't the endings of kawa and herbata change after the verb jest?
You might remember that nouns often change their endings (to the Instrumental case) after the verb to be, like in On jest bratem (He is a brother). However, the phrase to jest is a special exception. Whenever you introduce something using to jest (this is), the nouns that follow stay in their basic dictionary form.
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