De vis smaakt lekkerder met citroen.

Because vis is a de-word in Dutch: de vis.

This has to be learned with the noun, because grammatical gender in Dutch does not always match English logic. Even though English just says the fish, Dutch requires either de or het, and for vis it is de.

Plural:

• de vis
• de vissen

So the article stays de in the plural too.

Smaakt is the third-person singular form of the verb smaken, which means to taste or to taste like.

So:

• De vis smaakt lekker. = The fish tastes good.
• De vis smaakt lekkerder. = The fish tastes better / tastier.

In this sentence, de vis is the thing that has the taste, so it is the subject of the verb smaakt.

Lekkerder is the comparative form of lekker.

• lekker = tasty / good
• lekkerder = tastier / better tasting

Dutch often forms the comparative by adding -er:

• groot → groter
• klein → kleiner
• lekker → lekkerder

Because lekker already ends in -er, the comparative becomes lekkerder.

Because Dutch usually prefers the normal comparative form with -er when possible.

So:

• natural: lekkerder
• unnatural or non-standard in this context: meer lekker

Just like English prefers tastier over more tasty in many cases, Dutch prefers lekkerder over meer lekker.

It behaves like a complement after the verb smaken.

In English, learners often want to label this as an adverb because it describes how something tastes. But in Dutch, after linking-type verbs such as zijn, worden, blijven, and also sensory verbs like smaken, you often use a form that looks like the adjective.

Compare:

• De vis is lekker.
• De vis smaakt lekker.
• De vis smaakt lekkerder.

You do not add an extra ending here. So lekkerder is the correct form.

This is normal Dutch main-clause word order:

• subject: De vis
• finite verb: smaakt
• rest of the sentence: lekkerder met citroen

Dutch main clauses usually put the finite verb in the second position.

So this pattern is very common:

• De vis smaakt lekker.
• De vis smaakt lekkerder met citroen.

You can also move met citroen to the front for emphasis:

• Met citroen smaakt de vis lekkerder.

That is also correct, but then the verb still stays in second position:

• Met citroen | smaakt | de vis | lekkerder

In Dutch, when talking about ingredients, flavorings, or general accompaniment, a bare noun is often used.

So:

• met citroen = with lemon
• met suiker = with sugar
• met kaas = with cheese

This does not necessarily mean one whole lemon. It just means lemon as an ingredient or accompaniment.

If you wanted to be more specific, you could say:

• met een citroen = with a lemon
• met de citroen = with the lemon

But in your sentence, the general idea is simply that lemon improves the taste.

It is intentionally general.

In a food sentence like this, met citroen can mean something like:

• with lemon
• with some lemon
• with lemon juice
• with lemon added

The exact meaning depends on context. In everyday language, Dutch often leaves that unspecified if it is not important.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are natural, but they are slightly different in feeling:

• lekkerder = tastier, more delicious
• beter = better

So:

• De vis smaakt lekkerder met citroen. focuses more on taste and deliciousness.
• De vis smaakt beter met citroen. is also very natural and may sound a little broader or more neutral.

This is a very common question.

• smaken = to taste, in the sense of have a certain taste
• proeven = to taste, in the sense of try/taste something with your mouth

Examples:

• De vis smaakt lekker. = The fish tastes good.
• Ik proef de vis. = I taste the fish / I try the fish.

So in your sentence, smaken is correct because the sentence describes the taste of the fish, not the action of someone tasting it.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• smaakt: roughly smahkt
• lekkerder: roughly LEK-er-der
• citroen: roughly see-TROON

A few useful notes:

• aa in smaakt is a long vowel.
• The g in lekkerder is not present; lekker has a short e sound.
• In citroen, the stress is on the second syllable: -troen.

Grammatically, Dutch allows that structure, but English usually prefers a smoother translation such as:

• The fish tastes better with lemon
• Fish tastes better with lemon
• The fish is tastier with lemon

So while lekkerder literally means tastier, a natural English translation may use better instead.