Czy to jest ciężka książka?
Is this a heavy book?
You can answer:
Tak, ta książka jest ciężka.
Yes, this book is heavy
Or you can answer:
Nie, ta książka nie jest ciężka.
No, this book is not heavy.
As you can see, creating such answers in Polish is very similar to doing so in English.
If you wanted to say that your book is not heavy but that it is light, you can say so as follows:
Nie, ta książka nie jest ciężka. Ona jest lekka.
No, this book is not heavy. It is light.
*Did you notice that in this statement we answered saying ona (she) instead of to (it)? Whereas in English we would use the "it" pronoun to speak of a subject, in Polish the "it" or noun being spoken of would be gender specific. Therefore we would use: on, ona or ono in place of the English "it".
We can translate this as:
She is light (rather than: it is light).
Just a thought:
Do you ever remember hearing an older family member or friend refer to a car or a boat as a she? It is not uncommon to hear such terminology down in the south. Referring to a car, one might say, “she’s a beauty”. Well, what you are learning here is really no different, only in Polish it is actually proper, not just slang.
Here are some other examples:
Nie, ten długopis nie jest duży. On jest mały.
No, this pen is not big. It is small.
Nie, to biurko nie jest okrągłe. Ono jest kwadratowe. No this desk is not round. It is square.
Practice it!
Practice this by creating your own statements. Perhaps by adding to those you have been working on from pervious lessons.