Questions & Answers about Lato było bardzo suche.
Why do we use było here instead of był or była?
In the Polish past tense, the verb has to match the gender of the subject. Since lato (summer) is a neuter noun, we must use the neuter form of the verb to be, which is było. If the subject were masculine, you would use był, and for feminine, you would use była.
How do I know that lato is a neuter noun?
A good rule of thumb in Polish is to look at the last letter of the noun in its basic dictionary form. Nouns that end in the letter -o (like lato, okno, or piwo) are almost always neuter.
Why does the adjective take the form suche instead of the dictionary form suchy?
Just like the verb, adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they describe. The dictionary form suchy is masculine. Because lato is a neuter noun, the adjective drops the masculine -y and takes the neuter -e ending, becoming suche.
Could I change the word order and say Było bardzo suche lato?
Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly. Lato było bardzo suche directly means The summer was very dry. If you say Było bardzo suche lato, it translates more closely to It was a very dry summer.
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