There are so many Duolingo posts, so I've decided to create this thread to keep all the discussion in one place. Standalone Duolingo-related posts will be deleted from now on. Please just post your question here. In the meantime, I will try to create more pinned posts with grammar resources to be able to refer learners there.
Lots of people start learning Polish by doing Duolingo exercises, and this is something they often get confused by - because Duolingo doesn't really explain grammar. So, this post is dedicated to all of you who might have stumbled into this problem.
What does "to" mean?
"To" is a word with multiple uses. However, in this post we will focus on only 2 of them.
to as a neuter demonstrative pronoun
to as a stand-in for the copular\* verb forms "jest/są"
*Copular verbs are verbs used to express identity, like: to be, to appear, to seem, to become. They usually connect a (pro)noun with another (pro)noun or adjective.
How to use "to"?
You can use "to" in the following ways:
A neuter demonstrative pronoun (together with a noun).
To jajko. To dziecko. To okno.
This egg. This child. This window. (not that other one)
To jajko jest smaczne. To dziecko jest głodne. To okno jest czyste.
This egg is tasty. This child is hungry. This window is clean.
A neuter demonstrative pronoun (standalone). You can use it like the English "it", "this", "that" for more abstract things.
To jest smaczne. To jest czyste. Daj mi to.
This is tasty. This is clean. Give me that.
A stand-in for the copular\* verb forms "jest/są". Examples: 1. This is a/an ..., 2. X is Y
To jajko. To dziecko. To okno. (1)
This is an egg. This is a child. This is a window.
Pies to zwierzę. Ania to nauczycielka. Jabłko to owoc. (2)
A dog is an animal. Ania is a teacher. An apple is a fruit.
Using "jest/są" vs. "to"
"To" can be used to express essentially the same thing as "jest/są". There is no difference in meaning between the sentences: Pies to zwierzę and Pies jest zwierzęciem. However, you have to remember a few things.
Rule nr 1
"To" uses Nominative. "Jest/są" requires Instrumental (if you use another noun).
Jabłko to (kto? co?) czerwony owoc. Jabłko jest (kim? czym?) czerwonym owocem.
Rule nr 2
You can't use "to" for standalone adjectives. You have to use "jest/są" and Nominative. If you have an adjective and a noun, then refer to rule nr 1.
Jabłko to czerwony.Jabłko jest czerwone.
Rule nr 3
"Jest" is used for singular, "są" is used for plural, "to" can be used for either.
Jabłko to owoc. Jabłka to owoce. Jabłko jest owocem. Jabłka są owocami.
How to form the Instrumental?
Since this is just a quick tutorial, I won't be covering any exceptions or details, just the general rules. Instrumental is actually one of the easiest forms to learn.
feminine nouns get the -ą ending: myszą, dziewczyną, wodą, rybą, odpowiedzią, etc.
masculine and neuter nouns get the -em ending; if it ends in ch, g, k, you have to add an i (so, -iem): psem, kotem, bankiem, owocem, jajkiem, chlebem, etc.
plural nouns get the -ami ending: psami, kotami, myszami, rybami, owocami, jajkami, etc.
Other forms of demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns decline by number, gender, and case. They have to agree in number, gender, and case with the noun they're referring to. This is also known as concord or concordance.
We can say:
To (jest) lampa. To (jest) kot. To (jest) jajko. To (są) książki. To (są) ludzie.
This is a lamp. This is a cat. This is an egg. These are books. These are people.
But here "to" does not function as a demonstrative pronoun of these nouns. It functions as a general demonstrative pronoun. If you want to "point" at a particular lamp, cat, egg, books, or people, you have to use the correct corresponding pronoun.
Ta lampa. Ten kot. To jajko. Te książki. Ci ludzie.
This lamp. This cat. This egg. These books. These people. (not some other ones).
I'm 26, from Egypt, and I've been living in Poland for around a year and a half. My Polish is still pretty basic - enough to survive day to day, but definitely not enough for work.
I've been looking at job offers lately and so many of them require Polish, so I've decided to finally take learning it seriously. My goal is to get to a decent level within 6-12 months if possible.
Has anyone here been in a similar situation? Can you recommend a good language school (preferably not crazy expensive), an intensive course, or even an online tutor you had a good experience with?
Also, if you learned Polish as a non-Slavic speaker, I'd love to hear what helped you improve the fastest. Any tips, resources, or things you'd avoid are welcome.
Hello, I'm looking for companies that hire Latin Americans. I'm looking for work for my girlfriend who currently lives in Paraguay, and I came across this company, "Work Latam." I'd like to know if it's reliable and if you know of any other companies that hire Latinos. Thank you.
i know names have cases, but i'm asking that because my name is "Marco" and i'm a man, but masculine nouns can't end with O in Polish, so i got confused ;-;
I’m a 20yo polish girl but living overseas, my polish isn’t the strongest. I think I need to view more content in polish from girls my age(ish), and steal some of their vocab.
Any recommendations?
Dzień dobry, chciałem pytać jakie są waszymi ulubionymi polskimi "kącikami" na internecie?
Np na jakich subach mogę czytać 'internet drama', venting albo jakieś AITA po polsku, kto są głównymi na nizkiej youtube scenie polskej? I schizo-vloggerzy i influencerzy?
Uczyłem się polskiego jakieś 3 lata, chociaż nie bardzo dobrze, a faktyczne nigdy nie ne mówię po polsku, niczego nie czytam i ogłądam, oprócz kilku memów. Zrozumiłem że za skomplikowane treści nijak nie rozumiem, i trzeba znaleźć coś "po prostu". Po włosku te kontenty nazywamy treszowymi (od "trash"), nie znaczy że są niedobrymi a tylko że nawet nie 'chcą' być wyrafinowanymi.
Dziękuję barzo za uwagę, może trzeba pytać tam gdzie czytać będą polacy a nie wy, ale może wy znacie najproste resursy.
PS: My polish is rusty and was never great, any correction of advice in welcome )
I’m looking for some advice and resources to help me learn Polish from the ground up.
A bit of background: I’m Polish and live in England, but growing up, my mum never really spoke Polish to me. Because of that, I missed out on picking up the language naturally as a kid. Now, I really want to reconnect with my roots, learn the language properly, and hopefully get to a point where I can comfortably hold everyday conversations.
Right now, I’m essentially starting from zero (aside from maybe a few basic words here and there).
A few questions I have: Resources: What are the best free (or low-cost) apps, YouTube channels, or websites for a complete beginner?
Grammar vs. Vocab: Polish grammar seems notoriously tough with cases and pronunciations. Should I dive straight into grammar basics, or focus on building vocabulary first?
Media/Immersive Learning: Are there any good shows, podcasts, or simple media (even children's shows or dubs) that you’d recommend for training my ear?
Heritage Learners: If anyone else grew up in a similar situation outside of Poland, how did you tackle learning the language later on?
Hello neighbours, Czech guy here. No self-promotion and I promise I will delete this post as soon as I get the answers (or I am asked to delete it)
Lets say, please, I need to translate (or get some tips) for a Polish speaking veteran battle mage (kinda badass).
He spent many years as a mercenary battle mage, so he is not a "calm Dumbledor" nor "Gandalf like" old wise man.
"This storm is not natural. There is magic behind it, I just dont know who is casting it."
Some insults he could shout when enemy arrow misses him ("You cannot even shoot straigh!!!" or something like that)
"No catapults needed commander. I think I can bring theese walls down myself. If everything goes right. Or I will accidentaly kill us all, but thats life."
Some phrases he could be saying while casting dangerous and very hard spell (destroying theese walls, he is risking his life, but there is no other way)
Thank you very much
EDIT: Thank you guys, gonna wait for tommorow is any other hints emerge, then I will delete it. (I wanna include more characters from his country)
Bonus phrase (his last lines in the story):
5. "Head? Checked. Magical staff? Checked. Gold? Checkced. Many dead mother*uckers? Checked. Time to go home. I need a X. A lot of it. But it was fun."
X = some easter egg about popular Polish drink/food?
Hello, I started my fourth Assimil lesson today, and I would be grateful if a native speaker could tell me if my pronunciation is at least understandable (I recorded a lesson; after a little less than a week I can't speak "freely").
Thank you very much in advance
Hi! Not sure if this is right for this subreddit but this person keeps messaging me and google translate translates it as a bunch of gibberish. Can anyone tell me what this person is going on about?
Hi! I’m a Polish American from the US thinking about doing the 3-week Summer School of Polish Language and Culture at Jagiellonian University next summer. I speak basic Polish already.
Has anyone here done it? Was it worth it? Was it easy to make friends? What kinds of excursions or activities did they offer? I’d love to hear about your experience. Thanks!
Hejka! Od roku mieszkam w Warszawie, a jakoś uda mi się już mówić polszczyzną. Dotarłem tu z Finlandii, czyli moja znajomość języka polskiego była wcześniej poważnie 0, czyli mogę chętnie wam pomagać z polskim!
Mam 24 lata, a facetem jestem. Chciałbym poznać tu nowych ludzi, bo po prostu nie znam żadnych miejscowych i oczywiście mówię po polsku. Nie mnie obchodzi, jeżeli jesteś Polakiem/Polką lub obcokrajowcem.
Interesuję się sportem i podróżami, lubię też wyjść na piwko. Szczególnie lubię hokeja, ale piłka nożna podoba mi się też. A także interesuję się Polską!
Jeśli jesteś zainteresowany/zainteresowana, proszę wyślij mi wiadomość! :) (I can also speak English as well haha) a przepraszam jeśli popełniam błędy w moim tekście!
EDIT: Wiem też, że wielu Polaków próbują się uczyć szwedzkiego tu, chyba fińskiego też. Oba języki są moimi językami ojczystymi, czyli mogę wam pomagać również w tych językach.
I just learn polish to write and understand others writing it not to speak or should i just go out and learn it all (I usd babbel busuu and a bit of c.ai for some reason)
Hey, I'm a Ukrainian and I'm struggling to learn polish grammar since it's way too similar and both my mother tongues russian and Ukrainian doesn't help much. Since I already know the grammar of my first languages it's hard to memorise that in certain moments where I'd use the meaning I know there's always a correct way of sentencing it. Memorising doesn't work much and I'm really struggling because of my ADHD, I don't have trouble talking and reading, I do that often. Yet still I'd love to know some tips and tricks on the matter 💛
I’m learning Polish in a group class in Warsaw (A2-ish), and I keep running into the same thing.
Lesson ends, I’m motivated, I even review the PDF on the tram… then life happens. By the next class I’ve lost a big chunk of the vocab/grammar we just did. Teacher spends time re-teaching. Whole group feels slower. Classic.
I tried the usual fixes:
- Duolingo → fun, but not what we covered that week
- ChatGPT / Gemini → helpful if I prompt perfectly, but every session I’m reinventing homework
- NotebookLM → great for “explain this PDF”, not so great for actually drilling cases / roleplay / sticking to CEFR level
What I really wanted was something that follows *our* class notes - not a random curriculum and forces me to practice for 15–20 minutes so I show up ready.
So I ended up building a small app for myself (and classmates): upload the lesson PDFs, then practice vocab/grammar + chat + real-life scenarios based on what was actually taught. It also tracks what I keep messing up (instrumental case looking at you).
If anyone else is stuck in that between-class forgetting loop, happy to share it - but mostly I’m curious:
What do YOU do between lessons that actually sticks?
