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Questions & Answers about Ten deser smakuje słodko.
What part of speech is smakuje and what does it mean here?
Smakuje is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb smakować. In this sentence it functions like “tastes” in English, linking the subject (ten deser) to a description of its flavor.
Why is słodko used instead of the adjective słodki?
Because with the verb smakuje you describe how something tastes, and that requires an adverb in Polish. The adverb of słodki is słodko. Using słodki here (smakuje słodki) would be grammatically incorrect.
Could I say Ten deser jest słodki instead? How is that different?
Yes. Ten deser jest słodki means “This dessert is sweet.” You use the adjective słodki after jest (to be). The nuance is that smakuje słodko emphasizes the tasting experience (“it tastes sweet”), while jest słodki simply states a property of the dessert.
What case and gender is deser here, and why does ten look the way it does?
Deser is masculine singular in the nominative case because it’s the grammatical subject. The demonstrative ten agrees with it in gender, number and case: masculine singular nominative.
What’s the difference between ten deser and tamten deser?
Ten means “this” (close to the speaker): ten deser = “this dessert.” Tamten means “that” (farther away or previously mentioned): tamten deser = “that dessert.”
Can I omit ten and say Deser smakuje słodko? Does it change the meaning?
Yes. Deser smakuje słodko is more general: “Dessert tastes sweet.” It can refer to desserts in general or the one already in context. Adding ten makes it explicitly “this dessert.”
How do I ask “Does this dessert taste sweet?” in Polish?
Place czy at the beginning for a yes/no question:
Czy ten deser smakuje słodko?
Word order remains the same as the statement, just add czy.
How can I say “This dessert tastes sweet to me”?
Include the dative pronoun mi (to me) before the verb:
Ten deser mi smakuje słodko.
That pronoun shows whose experience you’re describing.
How is Ten deser smakuje słodko. pronounced and where does the stress fall?
Polish words almost always stress the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable. So you’d stress it like this:
TEN DE-ser sma-KU-je SŁOD-ko
(Approximately: “ten DE-ser sma-KU-ye SŁOD-ko.”)