"What you did is a crime."

Translation: To co zrobiłeś jest przestępstwem.

[blairecoucher]

Why the "To" at the beginning? Why is "Co zrobiłeś jest przestępstwem" incorrect?

[Jellei]

There isn't anything to serve as the subject in your sentence. So this is 'The thing that you did is a crime'.

[Mascha335]

What about "To co zrobiłeś jest przestępstwo"? I thought the "to jest" format didn't need narzędnik / instrumental.

[immery]

to co zrobiłeś to przestępstwo.

to co - to here is not a verb equivalent but a determiner before to.

different example would be "ten kogo" =(the one) who

[Andrey646210]

Why can't I say "to co ty zrobiłeś jest przestępstwem"?

[Jellei]

OK, added now.

[claudiuas]

I never observed before but e after z modifies the sound in z just like i does for z and c

[Jellei]

I'm not sure what you mean... in a way, there is no Z here. There is RZ, which is one sound, the same as Ż.

[Ali759455]

To co zrobiłeś to jest przestępstwo.

[Jellei]

Okay, added.

[Meikel100]

Is my response, "co zrobiłeś to jest przestępstwo", also acceptable?

[blairecoucher]

Almost, but there needs to be "to" before "co" in the sentence so that it has a subject. You can read Jellei's response to my question at the top.

[alisa488338]

It is a crime that you have done

[Jellei]

I don't believe it means the same.

[Stefan873422]

How about: To co zrobiłiście jest przestępstwem?

[Jellei]

You kinda mixed two forms: for all-female group it's "zrobiłyście", for 'at least one man in the group' it's "zrobiliście".

[elizabethp713816]

Can you use zbrodnia for crime? My dictionary translates przestępstwo as offence?

[Jellei]

"zbrodnia" sounds very, very, very serious, like from "Crime and Punishment" (Zbrodnia i kara). But it's correct and accepted.

Wikipedia says that "In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term crime does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition [...]" and it seems to me that even if in legal terms those can be different, "crime" should match "przestępstwo" in the way it's used in everyday language. "offence" is accepted when translating into English.