adjectives following conjugations of być
Something I need to remember is that although you use the instrumental case following conjugations of być. This only applies to adjectives if they describe a noun following conjugations of być. To illustrate:
He is a man - On jest mężczyznąthe noun mężczyzna, because it follows jest, takes the instrumental form: mężczyzną.
If we add an adjective, its case must be the same as the noun, so
he is a happy man - on jest szczęśliwym mężczyzną [instrumental]
he is a happy guy - on jest szczęśliwym facetem [instrumental]
However, if we do not have a noun after conjugations of być and just use an adjective, then the adjective stays in the nominative case.
he is happy - on jest szczęśliwy [masculine nominative]
Not forgetting to get the gender correct.
she is happy - ona jest szczęśliwa [feminine nominative]
And just to show the instrumental declension of szczęśliwa:
she is a happy woman - ona jest szczęśliwą kobietą [feminine instrumental]
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