February 3 2020
In the construction presented , the Polish "TO" refers
back to the subject, just like in the English sentence, where predicate nominative after the verb "to be" refers back to the subject (the "fish"):
Fish is a vegetable (nominative) - Ryba TO (jest) warzywo (Mianownik)
Fish is not a vegetable (nom.) - Ryba TO nie (jest) warzywo (Mianownik)
To use and negate the verb: JEST/NIE JEST, you need the instrumental
case (Narzędnik - kim? czym?), because both: JEST and NIE JEST do not
refer back to the subject:
Fish IS a vegetable - Ryba JEST warzywem (kim? czym? - Narzędnik)
Fish IS NOT a vegetable - Ryba NIE JEST warzywem (czym? - Narzędnik)
It is important to know both constructions. In many instances they have
the same meaning, but in reference to people (and personal pronouns)
the construction with Polish "TO" cannot be used:
You can use both constructions:
Fish is a vegetable - Ryba TO (jest) warzywo/ Ryba JEST warzywem
Fis is not a vegetable - Ryba TO nie warzywo/ Ryba NIE JEST warzywem
But, you can only say:
I AM a man/a woman - JESTEM mężczyzną/ JESTEM kobietą
I AM NOT a man/a woman - NIE JESTEM mężczyzną/ kobietą