Breakdown of Panie Marku, to jest już dziewiętnasty błąd.
to
this
być
to be
pan
sir / Mr.
już
already / anymore (with negation)
Questions & Answers about Panie Marku, to jest już dziewiętnasty błąd.
Why does the sentence start with Panie Marku instead of Pan Marek?
When you are talking directly to someone in Polish, you use a special form called the Vocative case. The basic name Pan Marek changes to Panie Marku to show that you are addressing him.
How do you form the ordinal number dziewiętnasty (nineteenth) from the regular number?
It comes from the number for nineteen, dziewiętnaście. For numbers 11 through 19, you generally drop the -ście at the end and add -sty. Since ordinal numbers act like adjectives, it takes the masculine ending -y here to match the noun.
Would the word dziewiętnasty change if it described a feminine noun?
Yes! Ordinal numbers must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because błąd (mistake) is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form dziewiętnasty. If it were a feminine noun like próba (attempt), it would change to dziewiętnasta.
Can the word już (already) go somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes, Polish word order is flexible, so you might also hear to już jest. However, placing już right before dziewiętnasty błąd emphasizes the surprisingly high number of mistakes Mr. Marek has made.