Questions & Answers about Starszy lekarz ma sześćdziesiąt lat.
Why does the sentence use ma instead of a word for 'is'?
In Polish, you don't say that someone is a certain age. Instead, you say that they have years. Ma is the 'he/she/it' form of the verb mieć (to have). So, translated literally, this means 'The older doctor has sixty years.'
Why is the word for 'years' lat here? I thought it was lata.
Polish has different forms for the word 'years' depending on the number. For numbers 2, 3, and 4 (and larger numbers ending in those digits, like 22 or 34), you use lata. For numbers 5 and up, including round tens like sześćdziesiąt, you must use lat.
Does starszy just mean 'old'?
Starszy actually means 'older' or 'senior'. If you simply wanted to say 'The old doctor', you would use the basic form stary. It is very common in Polish to use starszy as a more polite, respectful way to describe someone of advanced age.
Is there a trick to remembering the long number sześćdziesiąt?
Yes! It is built by combining sześć (six) and dziesiąt (tens). You will see this same -dziesiąt ending on most of the 'tens' in Polish, such as pięćdziesiąt (fifty) or osiemdziesiąt (eighty).