Doubt about demonstrative pronouns

hello everyone.

I've got a doubt about the usage of demonstrative pronouns. for example, the question:
what is this? -- co to jest?
When I'm going to answer it, do I use "to" or do I use "to/ta/ten"?
co to jest? to jest książka or
co to jest? ta jest książka

thanks

To jest is the equivalent of French c'est, German das ist and English this is. It DOES NOT agree with the gender of the noun being identified and always stays the same. So we say: to jest moja żona (fem,), to jest jego auto (neuter), to jest mój ulubiony sklep (masc).

It does change in the plural to: to są (these are): moi rodzice, jego skarpetki, nasze groby, etc.

thanks Polonius3!

If you are on an advanced level, don't forget about the Polish equivalent of the word 'to,' namely 'oto' ;). It isn't used much these days, it's old-fashioned / formal, but you can impress others when you use it sometimes ;)

Right - and then you can omit the 'jest' and 'ta' (te/to) words - it seems even simpler.

Does this always apply, or does it depend on what's being said?
I am thinking of " Być albo nie być, oto jest pytanie.

Good question.
The single 'oto' word without the 'jest' or 'to', etc. applies to things/people/objects which can be indicated by the finger, show directly - things we see/hear/feel with our senses .

It's my personal interpretation only and may not fully describe the issue.

Ok, thanks Looker, that's a clear explanation.
I just wasn't sure with your example of the book, whether omitting the 'jest' part was because the response was in answer to a question, whereas my example is more of a statement.

So much of Polish language depends on context, and it gets confusing!