Questions & Answers about Moim zdaniem to jest dobry film.
Why is it moim zdaniem instead of the dictionary form moje zdanie?
The phrase moim zdaniem literally translates to "with my opinion" or "by my opinion." It uses the instrumental case. In Polish, this is the standard, fixed way to say "in my opinion."
I learned that after jest we use the instrumental case. Why is dobry film in the nominative here?
That is a great catch! The rule you are thinking of applies when a regular noun or personal pronoun is the subject, like On jest dobrym aktorem (He is a good actor). However, when you use the pointing word to ("this") as the subject, the noun phrase that follows stays in the basic nominative case. So it is always To jest dobry film.
Can I leave out the word jest in this sentence?
Yes, you can! In Polish, it is very common to drop the verb jest when using to to identify something. You will often hear native speakers say Moim zdaniem to dobry film, which means exactly the same thing.
How do I change moim zdaniem to say "in his opinion" or "in her opinion"?
You just swap out the possessive word. "In his opinion" is jego zdaniem, and "in her opinion" is jej zdaniem. The word zdaniem always stays in the instrumental case.