Ten deser smakuje słodko.

This dessert tastes sweet.

Breakdown of Ten deser smakuje słodko.

• smakować: to taste
• ten: this
• deser: the dessert
• słodko: sweetly

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.