Learn Polish: Kupiliśmy nową pralkę. - We bought a new washing machine.

The phrase nowa pralka (new washing machine) is feminine. Because it is the direct object of the verb kupiliśmy (we bought), it changes to the accusative case. For this case, feminine adjectives end in -ą (nową) and feminine nouns end in -ę (pralkę).

Does "kupiliśmy" tell us anything about who bought the washing machine?

Yes! The -liśmy ending means "we" for a group that includes at least one male (masculine personal). If the group was made up entirely of women, you would use the non-masculine form and say kupiłyśmy instead.

Why use "kupiliśmy" instead of "kupowaliśmy"?

Both can translate to "we bought", but kupić (the base of kupiliśmy) is a perfective verb. This means it focuses on a one-time, completely finished action with a clear result. If you used the imperfective verb kupowaliśmy, it would mean "we were buying" or focus on the process rather than the completed purchase.

Why is the adjective "nową" placed before "pralkę"?

In Polish, descriptive adjectives like nową (new), starą (old), or fajną (cool) almost always come before the noun they describe. Adjectives that tell you what exact category or type something belongs to generally go after the noun.