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Questions & Answers about Małpa je banana.
Why is the word for banana banana here instead of banan? Doesn't the -a ending mean it's a feminine noun?
The dictionary form of the word is actually banan, which is a masculine noun. It changes to banana here because it is the direct object of the sentence (the thing being eaten), meaning it must take the Accusative case. The -a here is a case ending for masculine words, not a sign of a feminine word.
I learned that masculine inanimate objects don't change their endings in the Accusative case. Why does a banana get the -a ending?
You are right that usually, non-living masculine nouns stay exactly the same in the Accusative case. However, Polish has a quirky exception: most fruits and vegetables (like banan, pomidor, or ogórek) are treated grammatically as if they were alive (masculine animate). Because of this, they take the -a ending just like animals or people do.
Does the word je mean 'eats' or 'is eating'?
It means both! Polish doesn't have a separate present continuous tense like English does. Depending on the context, Małpa je can mean 'The monkey eats' (as a general habit) or 'The monkey is eating' (right now).
The verb je comes from jeść (to eat). Is this a regular verb?
No, jeść is an irregular verb, so its forms need to be memorized. In the singular present tense, it goes: ja jem (I eat), ty jesz (you eat), and on/ona/ono je (he/she/it eats).