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Questions & Answers about Zimno ci? Tak, bardzo.
Why does this sentence use ci instead of ty?
In Polish, physical states like being cold, hot, or sad are expressed using the dative case. Instead of saying "You are cold" like in English, Polish literally says "It is cold to you". ci is the dative form of ty.
Is there a verb missing in Zimno ci?
Yes, the verb jest (is) is implied. A more complete version would be Czy jest ci zimno? (Is it cold to you?), but in everyday conversation, it is very common to drop both the question word czy and the verb jest.
Why is the word zimno used instead of the adjective zimny?
Could I use the long pronoun tobie instead of ci?
You could, but it changes the focus. ci is the standard, unstressed short form. You would only use the long form tobie for contrast or strong emphasis, for example: "I am fine, but is it cold to you?" (Ale czy tobie jest zimno?).