Questions & Answers about Kiedy jestem chory, boli mnie gardło.
Why is chory used here instead of the instrumental case? Doesn't the verb być (to be) take the instrumental?
You are right that być usually takes the instrumental case, but that rule applies when you use a noun (like 'I am a doctor' - jestem lekarzem). When you use just an adjective to describe a state (like 'I am ill' - jestem chory), it stays in the nominative (dictionary) case.
Does chory change if a woman is speaking?
Why does the Polish sentence say boli mnie gardło instead of using the word for 'my'?
In Polish, when talking about aches and body parts, you rarely use possessive words like 'my' or 'your'. The construction literally translates to 'the throat hurts me'. The throat (gardło) is the subject doing the action, and it hurts the speaker (mnie). It is already obvious that it is your own throat!
What case is mnie in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case. The verb boleć (to hurt) takes a direct object in the accusative case to indicate who is experiencing the pain. The accusative form of ja (I) is mnie.