Die Suppe mit frischem Gemüse schmeckt heute besonders gut.

The soup with fresh vegetables tastes especially good today.

Breakdown of Die Suppe mit frischem Gemüse schmeckt heute besonders gut.

• mit: with
• heute: today
• frisch: fresh
• gut: good
• die Suppe: the soup
• das Gemüse: the vegetable
• schmecken: to taste
• besonders: especially

Questions & Answers about Die Suppe mit frischem Gemüse schmeckt heute besonders gut.

Why does the adjective end in -em in frischem Gemüse?

Because Gemüse is neuter and follows the preposition mit, which takes the dative case. In the dative singular neuter, the adjective ending is -em, so we say frischem.

Why do we use schmeckt instead of something like ist to talk about taste?

In German, schmecken specifically refers to how something tastes. We use ist (from sein) to describe a state of being, but when describing the taste of food, the verb schmecken is the correct choice.

What does besonders mean, and how does it compare to sehr?

Besonders means particularly or especially, adding an extra emphasis that something is not just good but specifically stands out as good. Sehr means very. Both strengthen the meaning of good, but besonders suggests a bit more uniqueness or special quality.

Is the word order important for heute and besonders gut?

Word order in German can be somewhat flexible with adverbs. Heute (meaning today) often comes in the “middle field,” after the verb or subject, but besonders gut (meaning particularly good) can also move freely for emphasis. The sentence could also be Heute schmeckt die Suppe mit frischem Gemüse besonders gut, but the emphasis might shift slightly.

How do we decide whether to say Die Suppe schmeckt or Die Suppe ist?

Use schmeckt when focusing on the taste of the soup. If you say Die Suppe ist gut, it’s a more general statement—something like The soup is good. Adding schmeckt puts the spotlight on how it tastes specifically, which is often the nuance you want when talking about food.