Learn Polish: Ta kawa kosztuje 15 złotych. - This coffee costs 15 zlotys.

Ta kawa kosztuje 15 złotych.

This coffee costs 15 zlotys.

Breakdown of Ta kawa kosztuje 15 złotych.

Questions & Answers about Ta kawa kosztuje 15 złotych.

Why does the word for zloty change to złotych here?

In Polish, numbers affect the noun that comes after them. For the currency złoty: 1 is just złoty, 2, 3, and 4 use złote, but 5 and above (like 15) use a special plural form called the genitive plural, which is złotych. Because our number is 15, we say piętnaście złotych.

How do you pronounce the number 15, and how is the word built?

The word for 15 is piętnaście. In Polish, the "teen" numbers (11-19) are formed by adding -naście to the base number. It comes from an old way of saying "five on ten" (pięć + na + -ście). Notice that the ć from pięć changes to a t to make it easier to say!

I thought "this" was to. Why does the sentence start with Ta kawa?

You use to when saying "This is..." (like To jest kawa). But when you point at a specific object and say "This coffee", the word for "this" has to match the gender of the noun. Because kawa (coffee) is a feminine word, we must use the feminine form ta.

What is the base form of the verb kosztuje?