Breakdown of Czekolada w domu smakuje lepiej niż czekolada w restauracji.
dom
the house
w
in
smakować
to taste
lepiej
better
restauracja
the restaurant
niż
than
czekolada
the chocolate
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Polish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Czekolada w domu smakuje lepiej niż czekolada w restauracji.
Why are domu and restauracji in that form instead of dom and restauracja?
They are in the locative case because the preposition w (“in”) requires the locative when indicating location. The base nouns dom and restauracja change to domu and restauracji in the singular locative.
Why isn't there any word equivalent to the or a before czekolada?
Polish does not have articles like the or a. You simply use the noun by itself, so czekolada can mean “chocolate,” “the chocolate,” or “a chocolate” depending on context.
Why is lepiej used instead of lepsza to express “better”?
Lepiej is an adverb (it modifies the verb smakuje), while lepsza is an adjective (it would modify a noun). If you wanted to use lepsza, you’d need a form of być (“to be”), for example:
Czekolada w domu jest lepsza niż w restauracji.
What is the role of niż in this sentence?
Niż functions like the English word than in a comparison. It introduces the second item you’re comparing to.
Why not use od instead of niż, since I learned that lepszy od means “better than”?
When you compare adjectives (e.g. lepszy od), you can use od. But when you compare with an adverb (e.g. smakuje lepiej), the correct linking word is niż, not od.
What is smakuje, and how is this verb used here?
Smakuje is the 3rd-person singular present of smakować (“to taste”). Here Czekolada is the subject (“chocolate tastes”), and lepiej is the adverb describing how it tastes.
Can I leave out the second czekolada and just say … niż w restauracji?
Yes. Omitting the repeated noun is common in Polish:
Czekolada w domu smakuje lepiej niż w restauracji.
The meaning remains clear.
Is the word order fixed, or could I say W domu czekolada smakuje lepiej?
Polish word order is quite flexible. Starting with W domu simply shifts emphasis slightly to “at home,” but the overall meaning doesn’t change.
If I want to talk about restaurants in general, should I use restauracji or restauracjach?
For a generic plural sense (“in restaurants”), use the locative plural w restauracjach:
Czekolada w domu smakuje lepiej niż w restauracjach.
What’s the nuance between saying smakuje lepiej and jest lepsza?
Smakuje lepiej highlights the immediate tasting experience (“tastes better”). Jest lepsza (“is better”) is a broader statement about overall quality or preference, not just the taste in that moment.