Learn Hardcore Polish: W naszej dzielnicy kucharz z sąsiedniej restauracji obiecał nam darmowy deser. - In our district the chef from the neighboring restaurant promised us a free dessert.

The phrase naszej dzielnicy is in the locative case because of the preposition w (“in”). Polish prepositions often govern specific cases, and w requires locative to express “inside” or “within.”

Base form: nasza dzielnica (nominative)
Locative singular: naszej dzielnicy

Why is there z before sąsiedniej restauracji, and what case does it take?

The preposition z means “from” or “out of.” After z, Polish uses the genitive case to indicate origin. Hence:

Base: sąsiednia restauracja (nominative)
Genitive singular: sąsiedniej restauracji

How do the endings -ej in sąsiedniej and -i in restauracji reflect the genitive?

In feminine singular genitive:

The adjective sąsiednia → sąsiedniej (adj. genitive ending -ej)
The noun restauracja → restauracji (noun genitive ending -i)
Both show they agree in gender (fem.), number (sing.), and case (genitive).

What is the function of nam, and why not nas?

Nam is the dative pronoun meaning “to us” or “for us.” The verb obiecać/obiecać (“to promise”) takes an indirect object in the dative.

nam = dative “us”
nas = accusative/genitive “us” (wouldn’t fit the verb’s requirement)

Why is darmowy used here instead of an adverbial phrase like za darmo?

Darmowy is an adjective modifying the noun deser (“dessert”), so it must agree in gender, number, and case (here masculine-singular accusative, which looks like nominative).

darmowy deser = “a free dessert”
By contrast, za darmo is an adverb meaning “for free” and cannot directly modify a noun. You could say dostać deser za darmo (“to get a dessert for free”), but with obiecać you naturally use the adjective form.

What case is deser in, and why does it look like the nominative?

Deser is the direct object of obiecał, so it’s in the accusative case. Since deser is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form is identical to the nominative (deser).

Could the word order change, or is it fixed this way?

Polish is fairly flexible because cases mark roles. You could say, for instance:

Kucharz z sąsiedniej restauracji obiecał nam darmowy deser w naszej dzielnicy.
Darmowy deser obiecał nam kucharz z sąsiedniej restauracji w naszej dzielnicy.
Each variation may shift the emphasis (e.g., highlighting darmowy deser vs. w naszej dzielnicy), but the meaning stays clear.

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” before “chef” or “restaurant”?

Polish does not use articles (no “the” or “a”). Definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context, word order, demonstratives (ten/ta/to), or possessives (like naszej).

What’s the difference between obiecał and obiecywał, and why is obiecał used here?

• Obiecywać is imperfective, describing ongoing, habitual, or repeated promises. In the past you’d say on obiecywał (“he was promising” / “he used to promise”).
• Obiecać is perfective, indicating a completed one-time action. In the past you say on obiecał (“he promised”).
Here we talk about a specific promise made once, so obiecał (perfective) is the correct choice.