Dziecko lubi niespodzianki.

Dziecko is one of those Polish nouns that is grammatically neuter, even though it refers to a person who can be male or female.

This is normal in Polish: some words for young beings are neuter, for example dziecko (child).

That matters for agreement in some contexts:

• małe dziecko = small child
• dziecko było zmęczone = the child was tired

In your sentence, though, you do not see a special neuter verb ending, because the present-tense form lubi is simply the normal 3rd person singular form.

Lubi is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb lubić (to like).

The subject is dziecko, which is singular, so the verb must also be singular:

• ja lubię = I like
• ty lubisz = you like
• on / ona / ono lubi = he / she / it likes

So dziecko lubi is the correct match: singular subject + singular verb.

Here niespodzianki is in the accusative plural, because it is the direct object of lubić.

The dictionary form is:

• niespodzianka = surprise

Plural:

• nominative plural: niespodzianki
• accusative plural: niespodzianki

So in this sentence, the form looks the same as the nominative plural, but its function is accusative because lubić takes a direct object.

Because for many non-masculine-personal plural nouns in Polish, the nominative plural and accusative plural are identical.

That is what happens with niespodzianka:

• nominative plural: niespodzianki
• accusative plural: niespodzianki

So you have to tell the case from the sentence structure:

• after lubi, it is the object, so it is accusative
• if it were the subject, it would be nominative

Niespodzianek is the genitive plural, not the accusative plural.

You often see the genitive plural after negation:

• Dziecko nie lubi niespodzianek. = The child does not like surprises.

But in the affirmative sentence:

• Dziecko lubi niespodzianki.

the verb normally takes the accusative, so niespodzianki is the expected form.

No. Polish does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So dziecko can mean:

• the child
• a child

and the exact meaning depends on context.

Likewise, niespodzianki can mean surprises in general or some specific surprises, depending on what has already been mentioned.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• niespodzianki = surprises (plural)
• niespodziankę = a surprise / one surprise (singular accusative)

So:

• Dziecko lubi niespodzianki. = the child likes surprises
• Dziecko lubi niespodziankę. = the child likes a surprise / one particular surprise

If you want a general statement about liking surprises in general, the plural niespodzianki is very natural.

Yes, but the neutral, most natural order here is:

• Dziecko lubi niespodzianki.

That is a standard subject–verb–object order.

You can change the order for emphasis, for example:

• Niespodzianki lubi dziecko.

This is grammatically possible, but it sounds marked and would usually be used only if you want to emphasize niespodzianki or create a contrast.

Because Polish has case endings, word order is more flexible than in English.

The plural of dziecko is dzieci, which is irregular.

So the plural version of the sentence would be:

• Dzieci lubią niespodzianki. = Children like surprises.

Notice the verb changes too:

• singular: dziecko lubi
• plural: dzieci lubią

A careful pronunciation guide is:

• dziecko — [ˈd͡ʑɛt͡skɔ]
• lubi — [ˈlubʲi]
• niespodzianki — [ɲɛspɔˈd͡ʑaŋkʲi]

Stress:

• DZIEC-ko
• LU-bi
• niespo-DZIAN-ki

A rough English-style approximation would be:

• JETS-koh LOO-bee nye-spo-JAHN-kee

But the Polish consonants are softer than the English ones, especially in dzie- and -dzian-.