Ta przystawka była lekka, ale główne danie okazało się bardzo duże.

Because przystawka is a feminine noun in Polish, and the demonstrative this must agree with the noun’s gender.

• ten = masculine
• ta = feminine
• to = neuter

So:

• ta przystawka = this appetizer / this starter

This kind of agreement is very important in Polish. The same thing happens with adjectives and past-tense verbs too.

Była is the past tense of być (to be) for a feminine singular subject.

Since przystawka is feminine singular, the verb has to match it:

• był = he / masculine singular was
• była = she / feminine singular was
• było = it / neuter singular was
• były = they were (non-masculine-personal)
• byli = they were (masculine-personal)

So:

• Ta przystawka była lekka = This appetizer was light

Because adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Here, przystawka is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative:

• lekki = masculine
• lekka = feminine
• lekkie = neuter

That is why we get:

• lekka przystawka
• Ta przystawka była lekka

Przystawka usually means appetizer, starter, or sometimes hors d’oeuvre, depending on context.

In a restaurant context:

• przystawka = starter / appetizer
• główne danie = main course

So the sentence contrasts a lighter first dish with a much larger main dish.

Because danie is a neuter noun, so the adjective must also be in the neuter singular form.

• główny = masculine
• główna = feminine
• główne = neuter

Since danie is neuter, you say:

• główne danie = main course

This is the same pattern as with lekka przystawka, just with a different gender.

In Polish, many nouns ending in -e or -o are neuter, and danie is one of them.

You cannot always predict gender perfectly from meaning, but the ending often helps. Here:

• danie ends in -e
• so it is neuter
• therefore it takes neuter forms like główne, okazało, and duże

So several words in the second clause are shaped by the fact that danie is neuter.

Okazało się means turned out to be, proved to be, or ended up being.

The base verb is okazać się. In this sentence it is in the past tense, neuter singular, because it refers to danie.

So:

• główne danie okazało się bardzo duże = the main course turned out to be very large

This expression often introduces a result or discovery that was not obvious at first.

Examples:

• Film okazał się świetny. = The film turned out to be great.
• Książka okazała się nudna. = The book turned out to be boring.
• Danie okazało się za słone. = The dish turned out to be too salty.

Because okazać się is the standard verb expression for to turn out.

In many cases, Polish uses verbs with się where English does not use a reflexive form. Here, się does not literally mean itself in the way an English learner might expect. It is simply part of the verb phrase.

So:

• okazać can mean to show / reveal
• okazać się means to turn out / prove to be

Compare:

• Okazał dokument. = He showed the document.
• Okazał się miły. = He turned out to be nice.

Because the subject is główne danie, and danie is neuter singular.

Past tense forms in Polish agree with gender:

• okazał się = masculine singular
• okazała się = feminine singular
• okazało się = neuter singular

Since danie is neuter, the correct form is:

• główne danie okazało się...

Again, adjective agreement.

Danie is neuter singular, so the adjective must also be neuter singular:

• duży = masculine
• duża = feminine
• duże = neuter

So:

• duże danie = a large dish
• główne danie było duże
• główne danie okazało się bardzo duże

It can mean either big or large. In this food context, English would often naturally say:

• very large
• quite big
• a large portion

So bardzo duże suggests that the main course was unexpectedly substantial in size or portion.

They are not exactly the same kind of statement.

• była lekka = a simple description: it was light
• okazało się bardzo duże = it turned out to be very large, which adds a sense of surprise, discovery, or contrast

So the sentence does more than just describe two dishes. It suggests something like:

• the appetizer was light,
• but the main course was unexpectedly large

That nuance comes from okazało się.

In a food context, lekka usually means light in the sense of:

• not too heavy
• easy to digest
• not very filling

So Ta przystawka była lekka most naturally means:

• The appetizer was light
• not necessarily physically light in weight

This is similar to English, where a light meal means something small or not heavy/rich.

Ale means but.

It connects the two clauses and creates a contrast:

• Ta przystawka była lekka = The appetizer was light
• ale główne danie okazało się bardzo duże = but the main course turned out to be very large

So ale signals that the second part contrasts with the first.

Yes, this word order is very natural.

• Ta przystawka była lekka, ale główne danie okazało się bardzo duże.

Polish word order is more flexible than English, but changing it usually changes emphasis, not the core meaning.

For example, you could also say:

• Główne danie okazało się bardzo duże, ale ta przystawka była lekka.

That puts the focus first on the main course instead.

Within the clauses, the original order is neutral and standard.

Not always.

Ta przystawka literally means this appetizer, but in natural English it may sometimes be translated as:

• this appetizer
• the appetizer

depending on context.

Polish often uses demonstratives like ten / ta / to in places where English might simply use the. So the exact English wording depends on the situation, even though the Polish form is clearly demonstrative.

Usually no, not in this sentence.

Przystawka normally means:

• appetizer
• starter

A side dish would usually be something like:

• dodatek
• przystawka is not the usual word for that in restaurant-menu usage

Because the sentence contrasts przystawka with główne danie, starter/appetizer is clearly the right meaning here.