"Twoja sukienka jest zbyt krótka."

Translation: Your dress is too short.

[DiegoMaria15]

Where lies the difference btw "Za" and "zbyt" ??

[immery]

You can always use zbyt, and you can use za only before many, but not all adjectives.

You cannot use za-adverb after za-preposition (za za would look and sound silly).

You cannot use za before participles.

You cannot use za before negated adjectives.

copied from @vytah https://www.duolingo.com/comment/13082422

[DiegoMaria15]

Thanks dude

[gizzard123]

How would you say "your skirt is too short"?

[Jantek_Jantek]

Twoja spódnica (spódniczka - diminutive form) jest zbyt krótka.

[MynameKika]

Skirt is spódniczka, dress is sukienka

[RadhaTereska]

I would say Your dress is a bit short in the case of "zbyt" and use too short with za krotka.

[immery]

but "zbyt" and "za" mean the same ?

[RadhaTereska]

It's tricky to try to translate literally from one language to another. I've spoken both languages all my life and I really "think" and perceive differently in each one. So for me (and just me and not official grammar books) za krotka means too short and zbyt kroka mean a bit short (that is, not quite "too short")

[immery]

Ok, my English is not that good, but in Polish in my mind "zbyt" is more than "za".

zbyt is a bit more formal so our association of it may be different depending on background.

I would translate a bit short - krótkawa, trochę krótka, trochę za krótka, przykrótka.

[Hereandthere715]

Jellei, would you be able to explain the difference between "zbyt" and "za"? I am still confused after reading all the comments. Immery says that you can always use zbyt. But, I think it might change the meaning. For example-- "To jest zbyt dużo." "To jest za dużo." My Polish is not very good, but I would take the first to mean, "That's too big," and the second to mean, "That's too much." Is this accurate? (Like, if you handed me $30, and I wanted to tell you this is too much money.) How do we know when to use which?

Thanks!!

[Jellei]

On the level of this course, it seems safe to consider them perfectly interchangeable. The rules aren't exactly set, that's more a case of what is a more common collocation. Professor Bańko says that "zbyt" is always safe, but "za" sometimes doesn't work (for adjectives derived from verbs and for adjectives starting with nie-), but that's some advanced stuff anyway.

No, in those sentences za/zbyt doesn't change anything, it's what follows them that could change it. You used the adverb "dużo" in both cases, so it refers to the amount: That's too much. In order to mean "That's too big" it would need the neuter adjective: "To jest [za/zbyt] duże".

[Hereandthere715]

That's so helpful! Thanks!

[Kami12087]

A sentence like this often comes across slut-shaming. Maybe we can practice the construction "too short" in less inflammatory phrasings.

[Jellei]

I have to say that I see your point. OK, I will remove this sentence and create some other one.