Breakdown of Zwykle czasownik to orzeczenie, a rzeczownik to podmiot.
a
and / whereas (contrast)
to
is (linking copula)
zwykle
usually
rzeczownik
noun
czasownik
verb
podmiot
subject
orzeczenie
predicate
Questions & Answers about Zwykle czasownik to orzeczenie, a rzeczownik to podmiot.
Why are orzeczenie and podmiot in the nominative case here instead of the instrumental?
Because this sentence uses the to construction to connect two nouns (saying X is Y). When you use the particle to instead of a form of the verb być (to be), both nouns stay in the nominative (dictionary) case. If we used the verb jest, we would need the instrumental case: czasownik jest orzeczeniem.
Does the word to change form based on the gender of the nouns it connects?
Why is a used here instead of i for the word and?
The conjunction a is used to show a contrast or a shift in focus between two different things. In English, it often translates closer to whereas or while. The word i is strictly used to add things together without highlighting any contrast.
Do we always need a comma before a?
Yes, according to Polish punctuation rules, you must always place a comma before the contrastive conjunction a, just as you do before ale (but).
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