Breakdown of Kawa jest gorąca, a woda zimna.
być
to be
kawa
coffee
a
and / whereas (contrast)
gorący
hot
woda
water
zimny
cold
Questions & Answers about Kawa jest gorąca, a woda zimna.
Why do we use a here instead of i or ale?
The word a is a special conjunction used to show a soft contrast, usually meaning while, whereas, or and. If you used i, it would just list facts without highlighting the difference. If you used ale (but), it would sound like a strong, unexpected contradiction. We use a to naturally compare two opposite states.
Why isn't there a second jest before zimna?
In Polish, it is very common to drop the verb in the second half of a sentence if it is the exact same verb as the one used in the first half. You could correctly say a woda jest zimna, but leaving out the second jest avoids repeating words and sounds much more natural.
Why do the adjectives gorąca and zimna both end in -a?
Because they describe kawa (coffee) and woda (water). Both of these nouns end in -a, which means they are feminine. Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe, so they also take the feminine -a ending here.
Do I always have to put a comma before a?
Yes! Polish punctuation rules are very strict about this. You must always write a comma before the conjunctions a (while/and) and ale (but).
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