Learn Hardcore Polish: On lubi ostre jedzenie, a ona woli łagodne i mniej słone zupy. - He likes spicy food, and she prefers mild and less salty soups.

i = and (just adding things: On lubi kawę i herbatę – He likes coffee and tea)
ale = but (stronger opposition: On lubi kawę, ale nie lubi herbaty – He likes coffee but doesn’t like tea)
a = and / while / whereas (often used to contrast two subjects smoothly: On lubi kawę, a ona herbatę – He likes coffee, and she (likes) tea)

So "a" is softer than "ale" and often corresponds to English "and" or "while" in contrasting sentences.

Why is it "lubi" and "woli", not "lubię" and "wolę"?

Because the subject is he and she, not I.

lubić (to like)
- ja – lubię (I like)
- ty – lubisz
- on/ona/ono – lubi (he/she/it likes)
woleć (to prefer)
- ja – wolę (I prefer)
- ty – wolisz
- on/ona/ono – woli (he/she/it prefers)

So:

On lubi = He likes
ona woli = she prefers

If you talked about yourself, you’d say: Lubię ostre jedzenie, ale wolę łagodne zupy. – I like spicy food, but I prefer mild soups.

Why is it "ostre jedzenie" and not "ostry jedzenie"?

Adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

jedzenie (food) is:
- neuter
- singular
- here in the accusative (direct object)

The adjective ostry (spicy, sharp) in neuter singular accusative is ostre.

Basic forms of ostry:

masculine: ostry
feminine: ostra
neuter: ostre

So:

ostry nóż – a sharp knife (masc.)
ostra zupa – a spicy/sharp soup (fem.)
ostre jedzenie – spicy food (neuter)

"ostry jedzenie" is grammatically wrong because ostry (masc.) doesn’t match neuter jedzenie.

What case are "ostre jedzenie" and "łagodne i mniej słone zupy" in?

Both are in the accusative case, because they are direct objects of lubi and woli.

On lubi ostre jedzenie.
– He likes what? → ostre jedzenie (accusative, neuter singular)
Ona woli łagodne i mniej słone zupy.
– She prefers what? → łagodne i mniej słone zupy (accusative, feminine plural)

For feminine inanimate nouns like zupa, the nominative plural and accusative plural are the same:

nominative plural: zupy
accusative plural: zupy

So zupy here is accusative, even though it looks like nominative.

Why do the adjectives before "zupy" all end in -e: łagodne i mniej słone zupy?

They agree with zupy (soups), which is:

feminine
plural
accusative

For feminine plural nouns, adjectives in both nominative and accusative typically take the -e ending:

dobre zupy – good soups
ciepłe zupy – warm soups
łagodne zupy – mild soups
słone zupy – salty soups

In łagodne i mniej słone zupy, both adjectives (łagodne, słone) refer to zupy, so they take the feminine plural form -e.

What is the difference between "ostre" and "pikantne" for food?

Both can describe spicy food, but there is a nuance:

ostre jedzenie – literally “sharp food”; in practice, “spicy/hot food”
Often about a strong, biting taste (heat from chili, strong spices).
pikantne jedzenie – “piquant/spicy food”
Sometimes suggests aromatic, well‑spiced food; can be hot, but also just richly seasoned.

In everyday speech, ostry is very commonly used for “hot/spicy”:

ostra salsa, ostry sos, ostra zupa.

In this sentence, ostre jedzenie is naturally understood as spicy food.

How does "mniej słone" work? Why "mniej" instead of a special comparative form?

Mniej means “less” and is used with adjectives to form a comparative:

słony – salty
mniej słony / mniej słone – less salty

Polish has “built‑in” comparative forms (like bardziej słony → słoniejszy), but for many adjectives speakers prefer bardziej / mniej + adjective, especially in everyday speech:

mniej słony – less salty
mniej słone zupy – less salty soups
bardziej słone zupy – more salty / saltier soups

So mniej is just a regular way to say “less + [adjective]”.

Why is it "zupy" (plural) and not "zupę" (singular)?

Zupa = soup (singular)
zupy = soups (plural)

Using zupy makes the meaning more general: mild and less salty soups in general, not one specific soup.

ona woli łagodną i mniej słoną zupę
– she prefers a mild and less salty soup (one soup, or soup as a singular dish)
ona woli łagodne i mniej słone zupy
– she prefers mild and less salty soups (as a general preference, different kinds)

In a sentence about what someone generally likes, Polish often uses the plural for types of things:
Lubi słodkie desery. – He/she likes sweet desserts (in general).

Why are "On" and "ona" used? Aren’t subject pronouns often dropped in Polish?

Yes, Polish often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person:

Lubi ostre jedzenie. – (He/She) likes spicy food.
Woli łagodne zupy. – (He/She) prefers mild soups.

However, pronouns are used when:

you want to be very clear who you’re talking about, or
you want to contrast people.

Here we have a clear contrast:

On lubi ostre jedzenie, a ona woli łagodne…
→ He likes spicy food, whereas she prefers mild…

So On and ona emphasize the difference between him and her.

Why is there a comma before "a": "...jedzenie, a ona woli..."?

In Polish, when "a" connects two independent clauses (each with its own verb), you normally put a comma before it.

On lubi ostre jedzenie, a ona woli łagodne…
Clause 1: On lubi ostre jedzenie
Clause 2: ona woli łagodne i mniej słone zupy

Each clause has its own subject and verb, so a comma is required.

If a just connects words or short phrases (not full clauses), there is usually no comma:

On lubi kawę i herbatę, a w pracy pije tylko kawę.
(Comma only before a that starts a new clause.)

What is the role of "jedzenie" here? Is it more like “eating” or “food”?

Jedzenie can mean:

the act of eating – eating
food – (what you eat)

In On lubi ostre jedzenie, it clearly means food:

ostre jedzenie – spicy food

If it meant the activity, you’d usually need more context or a different structure (e.g. On lubi jedzenie w restauracjach can mean “He likes eating in restaurants,” but it’s more common to say On lubi jeść w restauracjach).

So in this sentence, think of jedzenie simply as “food”.