Questions & Answers about Jeden i dwa to trzy.
Why does the sentence use "to" for "is" instead of "jest"?
In Polish, when you are doing simple math or stating that one thing equals another, you often use to instead of the verb jest (is). It acts like an equals sign. You can think of it as saying "One and two, that is three."
Is "i" the normal way to say "plus" in Polish math?
Yes, in everyday speech, Poles often use i (and) for simple addition, just like we say "one and two" in English. You can also use the word plus, but i is very common and natural for basic counting.
Are "jeden", "dwa", and "trzy" in their basic dictionary forms here?
Yes! Polish numbers can change their endings depending on grammar, but when we just list numbers or do basic math like this, we use their basic, unchanged dictionary forms (the nominative case).
How do I pronounce the "trz" at the beginning of "trzy"?
The letter combination rz usually makes a "zh" sound, but when it comes right after a voiceless consonant like t, it changes to sound like sz (similar to an English "sh"). So, trzy is pronounced a bit like "t-shy".