Kelnerka powiedziała, że nasza rezerwacja jest na siódmą, ale stolik będzie gotowy trochę wcześniej.

Kelnerka means waitress, while kelner means waiter. Polish nouns usually show gender, so if the person is female, kelnerka is the normal word.

That also affects the verb: because kelnerka is feminine, the past-tense verb is powiedziała, not powiedział.

Powiedziała is the past tense, feminine singular form of powiedzieć.

It tells you three things at once:

• past: it happened in the past
• feminine: the speaker was female
• singular: one person said it

The base verb powiedzieć is also perfective, so it means a completed act of saying: she said. That fits well here, because the waitress gave a piece of information once.

Both can relate to speaking, but they are not the same.

• powiedziała = she said / she told us
• mówiła = she was speaking / she used to say / she said in a less clearly completed way

In this sentence, the waitress gave a definite statement, so powiedziała is the most natural choice.

Że means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• Kelnerka powiedziała = The waitress said
• że nasza rezerwacja jest na siódmą... = that our reservation is for seven...

This is very common in Polish after verbs like:

• powiedzieć = to say
• myśleć = to think
• wiedzieć = to know

Because rezerwacja is a feminine noun, and adjectives and possessive words must agree with the noun they describe.

So:

• nasz = masculine
• nasza = feminine
• nasze = neuter

Since rezerwacja is feminine, you need nasza rezerwacja.

Here na siódmą is an idiomatic way to say that something is scheduled for seven o’clock.

After na, Polish often uses the accusative in this kind of time expression.
So siódmą is the accusative feminine singular form of siódma.

There is an omitted word here:

• na siódmą = short for na siódmą godzinę

In natural speech, godzinę is usually left out.

Not with exactly the same meaning.

• na siódmą = for seven o’clock, scheduled for that time
• o siódmej = at seven o’clock, when something happens

So with reservations, appointments, and bookings, na siódmą is very natural.

For example:

• Mamy rezerwację na siódmą. = We have a reservation for seven.
• Spotkanie zaczyna się o siódmej. = The meeting starts at seven.

So na siódmą is the better choice here.

Yes, Mamy rezerwację na siódmą is probably the more everyday, conversational way to say it.

But nasza rezerwacja jest na siódmą is still correct and natural. It sounds a bit more explicit, because it puts focus on our reservation itself.

So the sentence is fine; it is just slightly more formal or explanatory than the shorter mamy rezerwację version.

In restaurant language, stolik is the normal word for a table for guests.

Although stolik is historically a diminutive, in this context it is the standard everyday word. Restaurant staff very often say things like:

• Pański stolik jest gotowy.
• Poproszę stolik dla dwóch osób.

Stół is a more general word for a table and often sounds less natural in this situation.

This means will be ready.

It is built from:

• będzie = future of być (to be)
• gotowy = ready

So stolik będzie gotowy literally means the table will be ready.

Also, gotowy agrees with stolik:

• stolik is masculine singular
• so the adjective is gotowy, also masculine singular

This is a very common question for English speakers.

In English, after a past reporting verb, you often get backshift:

• She said that the reservation was for seven.

Polish does this less automatically. It often keeps the tense that matches the real situation.

So if the reservation is still for seven now, Polish naturally says:

• powiedziała, że nasza rezerwacja jest na siódmą

And if the table will be ready later, Polish naturally says:

• stolik będzie gotowy

So the tense reflects the actual timing of the reservation and the table, not just the fact that she said it in the past.

It means a little earlier or a bit earlier.

• trochę = a little / a bit
• wcześniej = earlier

In context, it means the table will be ready a little earlier than the reservation time, so probably a bit before seven.

Wcześniej is an adverb meaning earlier.

It comes from wcześnie = early.
So:

• wcześnie = early
• wcześniej = earlier

Polish often uses this kind of adverb on its own, without needing an extra word like English sometimes does.

Because standard Polish punctuation requires them here.

• A comma before że is used to separate the main clause from the subordinate clause.
• A comma before ale is standard when it links two clauses with a contrast.

So the punctuation in the sentence is completely normal:

• Kelnerka powiedziała, że...
• ..., ale stolik będzie gotowy...

Polish word order is fairly flexible, but this sentence uses a very neutral, natural order.

This version sounds straightforward and unmarked:

• Kelnerka powiedziała, że nasza rezerwacja jest na siódmą, ale stolik będzie gotowy trochę wcześniej.

You can move things around for emphasis, but that changes the focus and can sound less natural if there is no special reason. So for a learner, this word order is a very good model to follow.