Breakdown of Pogoda w marcu jest okropna, a w maju piękna.
być
to be
a
and / whereas (contrast)
w
in / on (a day)
piękny
beautiful
Questions & Answers about Pogoda w marcu jest okropna, a w maju piękna.
Why is March spelled marcu instead of marzec here?
When saying "in" a month, Polish uses the preposition w followed by the Locative case. The word marzec drops the letter 'e' (a common "fleeting e" in Polish) and adds the Locative ending -u, becoming w marcu.
What is the base word for maju, and why does it end in -u?
The base word is maj (May). Just like with marcu, we add the ending -u to make the Locative case after the preposition w, creating w maju (in May). Most months in Polish take this -u ending in the Locative case.
The English translation says "and", so why does the Polish sentence use a instead of i?
In Polish, i is used simply to link similar things, while a is used to show contrast or comparison. Since we are comparing the awful weather to the beautiful weather, a is the right choice. It acts a bit like "whereas" or "while" in English.
Why do the adjectives okropna and piękna end in -a?