Question 1

Why use zeszły for "last" here instead of ostatni?

Accepted Answer

In Polish, zeszły specifically means "previous" or "past" when talking about units of time (like last week or last year). The word ostatni also translates to "last", but it usually means "final" (like the last piece of cake) or "the very last in a sequence".

Question 2

Is tydzień a masculine noun even though it ends in a soft consonant?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Nouns ending in a soft consonant like -ń can be either masculine or feminine in Polish, which can be tricky and often just requires memorization. Tydzień is masculine, which is why the surrounding words (zeszły, był, and długi) all take masculine forms.

Question 3

Why is the word for "long" długi here instead of długie or długa?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because tydzień (week) is a masculine noun, the adjective takes the masculine singular nominative form, which is długi.

Question 4

Why isn't the adjective długi in the instrumental case after the verb był?

Accepted Answer

When the verb być (to be) connects a subject to a noun, that second noun takes the instrumental case. However, when być connects a subject to an adjective that simply describes it, the adjective stays in the nominative case (the basic dictionary form). Since długi is an adjective, it doesn't change here.

Zeszły tydzień był bardzo długi.

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