Breakdown of To nie jest żadna wymówka.
to
this
być
to be
nie
no / not
żaden
no / none / any (not a single one)
Questions & Answers about To nie jest żadna wymówka.
Why are there two negative words, nie and żadna, in this sentence?
Polish uses double negation. If you use a negative word like żadna (no/not any), you must also put nie before the verb. It literally translates to 'This is not no excuse.'
Doesn't negation usually change the case to Genitive? Why is żadna wymówka in the Nominative (dictionary) case?
Great catch! Normally, a negated direct object changes from Accusative to Genitive (for example, Mam czas becomes Nie mam czasu). However, the specific structure To jest... (This is...) or To nie jest... (This is not...) always takes the Nominative case, regardless of whether it is positive or negative.
Why is it żadna instead of żaden or żadne?
Żaden acts like an adjective, so it must match the gender of the noun it describes. Because wymówka (excuse) is a feminine noun, we have to use the feminine form żadna.
Can I just say To nie jest wymówka without żadna?
Yes, you can. To nie jest wymówka simply means 'This is not an excuse.' Adding żadna makes the statement stronger and more emphatic, exactly like saying 'This is NO excuse' or 'This isn't ANY excuse' in English.