Learn Hardcore Polish: W tej kawiarni jest duży hałas, ale i tak podoba mi się jej klimat. - There is a lot of noise in this café, but I still like its atmosphere.

Jest duży hałas sounds a bit more concrete, emphasizing the amount of noise (like there’s a lot of noise here), rather than just the general state it’s noisy.

Why do we say ale i tak together? Isn’t ale enough?

Ale by itself means but.

I tak on its own means anyway / in any case / still.

When you put them together: ale i tak, you get a stronger contrast, close to:

but still
but anyway
but even so

So:

…ale i tak podoba mi się jej klimat.
≈ …but I still like its atmosphere anyway.

You could say just ale podoba mi się jej klimat, and it would be correct, but ale i tak emphasizes that despite the negative fact (the noise), the positive feeling (liking the atmosphere) remains.

How does podoba mi się work grammatically? It looks backwards compared to English.

Yes, it’s “backwards” from the English point of view.

podobać się means to be pleasing (to someone).
The thing that you like is the subject.
The person who likes it is in the dative (here: mi).

In podoba mi się jej klimat:

klimat (atmosphere) is the subject.
podoba się is the verb.
mi (to me) is the indirect object in dative.
Literal structure: “its atmosphere is pleasing to me.”

So:

Podoba mi się jej klimat.
Literally: Her/its atmosphere is pleasing to me.
Natural English: I like its atmosphere.

The same pattern:

Podoba mi się ten film. – I like this movie. (literally: This movie is pleasing to me.)
Podobają mi się te buty. – I like these shoes. (here podobają agrees with plural buty).

What’s the difference between podoba mi się and lubię?

Both can often be translated as I like, but they’re used a bit differently:

podoba mi się

Focuses on impression, aesthetics, how something looks/feels/strikes you.
Often used for:
- appearances: Podoba mi się ta sukienka. – I like this dress (how it looks).
- first impressions: Podoba mi się to miasto. – I like this city (so far / as I see it).
- atmosphere, style: Podoba mi się jej klimat.

lubię (from lubić)

More general, about liking something in a stable way, as a preference or habit.
Typical for:
- people, animals: Lubię ją. – I like her.
- activities: Lubię czytać. – I like reading.
- foods, things you regularly enjoy: Lubię kawę. – I like coffee.

In this sentence, podoba mi się jej klimat is natural because we’re talking about how the café’s atmosphere/vibe feels or appeals to you.

Why is it mi and not mnie in podoba mi się?

Both mi and mnie are forms of ja (I) in the dative case:

mi – short, unstressed (clitic) form
mnie – full, stressed form

In normal, neutral sentences, especially with verbs like podobać się, the short form mi is preferred:

Podoba mi się jej klimat. – natural, neutral
Podoba mnie się jej klimat. – sounds wrong

You use mnie mainly when you want to add emphasis or contrast:

Mnie się to podoba, a tobie nie. – I like it, and you don’t.

So in this sentence, mi is the correct, natural choice.

What does jej klimat refer to? Why jej and not jego?

Jej means her / its and is used for feminine nouns.
Jego means his / its and is used for masculine and neuter nouns.

The noun kawiarnia (café) is feminine, so:

jej klimat = its (the café’s) atmosphere

If the place were masculine, you’d use jego:

Ten bar jest brzydki, ale podoba mi się jego klimat.
This bar is ugly, but I like its atmosphere.

Note also that jej here is in the genitive case (possessive: atmosphere of it).

What does klimat mean here? Is it about weather?

Literally, klimat is climate (weather conditions).
But in everyday speech, it very often means:

atmosphere
vibe
mood/feel of a place or situation

In this sentence, jej klimat means its atmosphere / its vibe – how the café feels: cozy, charming, stylish, etc., not the literal climate.

Other examples:

Lubię klimat tego miasta. – I like the atmosphere of this city.
Ten film ma świetny klimat. – This film has a great vibe / mood.

Can I change the word order in podoba mi się jej klimat?

Yes, Polish word order is quite flexible. These are all possible:

Podoba mi się jej klimat. – most neutral.
Jej klimat mi się podoba. – emphasizes jej klimat.
Mi się podoba jej klimat. – sounds spoken, with emphasis on mi (I like it).
Podoba się mi jej klimat. – grammatically okay, but unusual; people avoid this order.

The version in the sentence, podoba mi się jej klimat, is the standard, natural one.

Could I say W tej kawiarni jest głośno instead of jest duży hałas? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can. The meanings are very close:

W tej kawiarni jest głośno.
It’s noisy / loud in this café.
– describes the general state: it is loud.
W tej kawiarni jest duży hałas.
There’s a lot of noise in this café.
– focuses more on the amount of noise, that there is a big noise.

Both are correct.
Jest głośno sounds a bit more common and neutral in everyday speech; duży hałas adds a slightly stronger, more “quantified” feeling.

Why do we need jest in jest duży hałas? Can’t we just say w tej kawiarni duży hałas?

You generally need a verb in a full Polish sentence. Jest here works like “there is / is” in English.

W tej kawiarni jest duży hałas. – There is a lot of noise in this café.

Without jest, w tej kawiarni duży hałas sounds incomplete, like a note or a headline, not a normal sentence.

You could replace jest with another verb to sound more stylistic:

W tej kawiarni panuje duży hałas. – There’s a lot of noise in this café / There reigns a lot of noise.

But in standard speech jest duży hałas is the normal complete structure.

Could I use something else instead of ale i tak, like chociaż or mimo że?

Yes, there are other ways to express the same contrast:

Original:

W tej kawiarni jest duży hałas, ale i tak podoba mi się jej klimat.

Alternatives:

Chociaż (although/even though):
- Chociaż w tej kawiarni jest duży hałas, podoba mi się jej klimat.
Mimo że (despite the fact that):
- Mimo że w tej kawiarni jest duży hałas, podoba mi się jej klimat.
Mimo hałasu (despite the noise):
- Mimo hałasu w tej kawiarni podoba mi się jej klimat.

Ale i tak keeps the original two-part structure (fact A, but still B) and is slightly more conversational. Chociaż / mimo że often introduce the sentence-long concession at the beginning.