Learn Hardcore Polish: Ta restauracja jest tania i podaje szybki obiad. - This restaurant is cheap and serves a fast lunch.

Ta is the feminine singular demonstrative (“this”) because restauracja is a feminine noun. If the noun were masculine (like restaurator), you’d use ten.

Why does tania end in -a?

Adjectives in Polish agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. Restauracja is feminine singular in the nominative case, so tani becomes tania to match it.

Why is szybki used with obiad and not szybkie or szybka?

Obiad is a masculine inanimate noun in the nominative singular. The correct adjective ending for masculine singular inanimate is -i, so szybki is the right form.

Why is there no a or the before restauracja or obiad?

Polish doesn’t have articles like a, an, or the. Definiteness (whether something is “the” vs. “a”) is understood from context or additional words, not from articles.

What does podaje mean, and why is it in this form?

Podaje is the 3rd person singular present tense of podawać, meaning “to serve” or “to provide.” Since restauracja is singular, we use podaje (“it serves”).

Could we say serwuje instead of podaje?

Yes. Serwuje (from serwować) is a more direct loan from English “serve,” often sounding a bit more formal. Podaje is more colloquial. Both mean “serves.”

What exactly does obiad refer to—lunch or dinner?

In Polish obiad is the main meal, typically eaten in the early to mid afternoon (around 1–3 pm). In English you’d call it “lunch,” but it carries the sense of the day’s main cooked meal.

Could we swap the order and say Ta restauracja podaje szybki obiad i jest tania?

Yes. Polish word order is flexible because of case endings. Swapping the clauses is grammatically fine; you might just shift the emphasis slightly, but the basic meaning remains the same.