Learn Hardcore Polish: W kuchni brakuje soli. - There is no salt in the kitchen.

It’s the 3rd person singular present of the impersonal verb brakować (“to be lacking”). In this construction there is no grammatical subject; the verb stays in 3rd person singular regardless of what’s missing: Brakuje soli, Brakuje krzeseł, Brakuje czasu.

Why is it w kuchni and not w kuchnia?

Because w with a static location takes the locative case (Miejscownik). The noun kuchnia (kitchen) in the locative singular is kuchni. So: w kuchni = “in the kitchen.”

Why is it soli and not sól?

The verb brakuje governs the genitive case for the thing that’s missing. The genitive singular of sól (salt) is soli. Note the common spelling alternation ó → o in inflected forms: sól → soli.

Which cases does brakuje require?

Genitive for the missing thing: Brakuje czego? soli.
Optionally, dative for the person experiencing the lack: Brakuje komu? mi/nam.
Examples: Brakuje soli. / Brakuje mi soli. / W kuchni brakuje nam soli.

How do I say “We are missing salt in the kitchen”?

Use a dative pronoun for “we”: W kuchni brakuje nam soli.

Can I say Nie ma soli instead? What’s the difference?

Nie ma soli = there is no salt (none at all).
Brakuje soli = salt is lacking / there isn’t enough (a shortage).
In everyday speech both occur; choose based on nuance.

Is the word order fixed?

It’s flexible. Common, natural options:

W kuchni brakuje soli. (neutral, sets location first)
Brakuje soli w kuchni. (neutral, puts new info “in the kitchen” at the end)
Soli brakuje w kuchni. (emphasizes “salt”) Polish often places the most important/new info toward the end.

How do I talk about the past or a one-time “we ran out” event?

Imperfective (ongoing shortage): Wczoraj w kuchni brakowało soli.
Perfective (it ran out at a point): Wczoraj w kuchni zabrakło soli. Future:
Będzie brakować soli (imperfective)
Zabraknie soli (perfective)

Why not say Brakują dwie łyżeczki soli / Brakują dwa krzesła?

Standard Polish keeps this construction impersonal: Brakuje dwóch łyżeczek soli, Brakuje dwóch krzeseł. Using plural verb forms (brakują) in this meaning is considered nonstandard.

How do I express amounts with this verb?

Keep the genitive:

Brakuje trochę/odrobiny soli.
Brakuje dwóch łyżeczek soli.
With count nouns: Brakuje dwóch jajek / trzech kubków.

Why not we kuchni?

Polish uses we (instead of w) only before certain consonant clusters that are hard to pronounce (e.g., we wtorek, we Wrocławiu, we mgle). Kuchni doesn’t trigger this, so it’s w kuchni.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

w kuchni: the w often devoices to sound like f before k; ch = a voiceless “h” . So you’ll hear something like “f KOOH-nee.”
brakuje: stress the second-to-last syllable: bra-KU-ye.
soli: “SO-lee.”

Can I use the noun brak instead of the verb?

Yes, especially in headings or more formal style:

Brak soli w kuchni. (as a note or title) In a full sentence, W kuchni brakuje soli is usually more natural than W kuchni jest brak soli (which sounds stiff).

Is sól countable? What’s its plural?

In everyday use, sól is a mass noun (uncountable): trochę soli, dużo soli. It does have a plural sole (used mainly for types of salts in chemistry or gastronomy): różne sole. The genitive plural is also soli.

How do I turn the sentence into a yes/no question?

Add czy (optional but clear) and keep normal word order:

Czy w kuchni brakuje soli? You can also ask with rising intonation: W kuchni brakuje soli?

Does w kuchni ever mean “on the stove”?

No. W kuchni = “in the kitchen” (the room). “On the stove” is na kuchence (or colloquially na kuchni in some regions, but standard is na kuchence).