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To jest chyba nasz autobus.

To jest chyba nasz autobus.
That is probably our bus.
From Lesson 124:Certainty and doubt (na pewno, chyba)·Polish

Breakdown of To jest chyba nasz autobus.

to
this
być
to be
nasz
our
autobus
bus
chyba
probably, I think

Questions & Answers about To jest chyba nasz autobus.

Why is autobus in the basic nominative case here? Doesn't the verb być (to be) take the instrumental case?
The verb być usually requires the instrumental case when you are defining what someone or something is (for example, On jest kierowcą - He is a driver). However, there is a special rule: when you use the pronoun to (meaning this/that) as the subject, the noun that follows stays in the basic nominative case.
Can I leave out the word jest here, like we often do in simple sentences like To mój brat?
Yes, you can! To chyba nasz autobus is completely correct and sounds very natural in everyday spoken Polish. Including jest just adds a tiny bit of structure or emphasis to the sentence.
Does the word chyba have to go exactly in the middle of the sentence?
No, chyba (which means probably, or 'I guess') is very flexible in Polish. You could also say Chyba to jest nasz autobus or To jest nasz autobus, chyba. However, putting it next to the verb is the most natural-sounding choice.

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