Soppan smakar bra.

The soup tastes good.

Breakdown of Soppan smakar bra.

• bra: good
• smaka: to taste
• soppan: the soup

Questions & Answers about Soppan smakar bra.

Why do we say soppan and not soppa?

Soppa is the base (indefinite) form: en soppa = a soup.
In the sentence Soppan smakar bra, we mean the soup, so Swedish uses the definite form:

• en soppa → soppan = the soup

In Swedish, the definite article is usually added as an ending on the noun:

• en bok → boken (the book)
• en stol → stolen (the chair)
• en soppa → soppan (the soup)

So soppan simply means “the soup”.

How do I know that it’s en soppa and not ett soppa?

You mostly have to learn the gender with each noun. Swedish has:

• en-words (common gender)
• ett-words (neuter)

Soppa happens to be an en-word:

• en soppa – soppan

There are some patterns (e.g. many words for people and many -a nouns are en-words), but they’re not reliable enough to guess every time. In practice you memorize it as:

• en soppa, soppan = a soup, the soup

Why is it smakar and not är (why “tastes good” and not “is good”)?

Swedish often uses verbs of perception in the same way as English:

• smaka = to taste
• lukta = to smell
• låta = to sound
• se ut = to look (appear)

So:

• Soppan smakar bra. = The soup tastes good.
• Soppan är bra. = The soup is good. (more general)

Both are possible, but:

• smakar bra focuses specifically on taste
• är bra is vaguer: it could be about quality, nutrition, etc.

For food, you’ll also often hear:

• Soppan är god. = The soup tastes good / is tasty.

What tense is smakar here? Does it mean “tastes” or “is tasting”?

Smakar is the present tense of smaka.

• infinitive: att smaka – to taste
• present: smakar – (I/you/he etc.) taste / am tasting
• past: smakade
• supine: smakat

Swedish present tense covers both English “tastes” and “is tasting”.
So Soppan smakar bra can correspond to:

• The soup tastes good.
• The soup is tasting good. (less common in English, but possible in some dialects)

In Swedish you don’t change the verb for person:

• Jag smakar – I taste
• Du smakar – You taste
• Soppan smakar – The soup tastes

What’s the basic word order in Soppan smakar bra? Can I move the words around?

The sentence has the normal subject–verb–adverb/complement order:

• Soppan (subject)
• smakar (verb)
• bra (adverb/complement)

This is the default main-clause order in Swedish: the finite verb goes in second position (the “V2 rule”).

If you move something to the front, the verb must stay second:

• Idag smakar soppan bra. – Today the soup tastes good.
  (fronted: Idag; verb still second)

You can say for emphasis:

• Bra smakar soppan.
  That’s possible but sounds a bit poetic or emphatic, like “Good is how the soup tastes.”

You can’t just freely scramble the words; the verb needs to stay in second place in statements.

How do I turn Soppan smakar bra. into a yes/no question?

For a yes/no question, you normally put the verb first:

• Smakar soppan bra? – Does the soup taste good?

Word order:

1. smakar (verb)
2. soppan (subject)
3. bra (adverb/complement)

The meaning is the same as in English “Does the soup taste good?”, but there is no “do” in Swedish; you just move the verb.

What’s the difference between smakar bra, smakar gott, and är god?

All three can be positive about taste, but there are nuances:

• Soppan smakar bra.
  Neutral, straightforward: The soup tastes good.

• Soppan smakar gott.
  Slightly more focused on pleasant taste; “gott” literally means “tasty / delicious”. Often very similar to smakar bra in everyday speech.

• Soppan är god.
  Adjective god = tasty / delicious when talking about food and drinks.
  This often sounds a bit more about enjoyment / tastiness than just “okay / fine”.

In casual speech, smakar bra and smakar gott are often interchangeable, and är god is also very common for food.

Why is it bra and not väl if English says “tastes good / well”?

English often contrasts good (adjective) and well (adverb), but Swedish uses bra for both roles:

• Hon sjunger bra. – She sings well.
• Det är bra. – That is good.

Väl does not work here as a simple equivalent of “well” in the sense of “good”:

• Soppan smakar bra. ✅
• Soppan smakar väl. ❌ (wrong in this meaning)

Väl is mainly used:

• as a modal particle: Det är väl bra. – That’s good, isn’t it / I suppose.
• in some fixed expressions.

So for “tastes good / well” you use bra (or gott), not väl.

How do I say “The soup doesn’t taste good” or “The soup tastes bad” in Swedish?

You have a few natural options:

1. The soup doesn’t taste good:

   • Soppan smakar inte bra.

2. The soup tastes bad:

   • Soppan smakar dåligt.
   • Soppan smakar illa.

Nuances:

• inte bra – simply not good; could be neutral or polite.
• dåligt – bad(ly), clearly negative.
• illa – also bad(ly), often a bit stronger or more expressive.

All of them are common and correct.

How do you pronounce Soppan smakar bra?

Approximate standard Swedish pronunciation (IPA):

• soppan → [ˈsɔpːan]

  • stress on the first syllable
  • short o like in British sock
  • pp is a long /pː/
  • -an like “an” in “ban” (but shorter)

• smakar → [ˈsmɑːkar]

  • stress on sma-
  • a is long [ɑː], like in British father
  • k is a hard [k] (as in car)
  • r is usually tapped or slightly rolled

• bra → [brɑː]

  • br- as in brown
  • long [ɑː], again like father
  • final a is long; the word is one stressed syllable

Natural Swedish will link them smoothly: [ˈsɔpːan ˈsmɑːkar brɑː].

How would you say this in the plural, e.g. “The soups taste good”?

You change both the noun and, if needed, the verb or other words:

• en soppa – a soup
• soppan – the soup (definite singular)
• soppor – soups (indefinite plural)
• sopporna – the soups (definite plural)

So:

• Sopporna smakar bra. – The soups taste good.

Note:

• The verb smakar stays the same (no change for plural).
• Only the noun takes a plural ending (-or / -orna in this case).

Can I also say Det smakar bra instead of Soppan smakar bra?

Yes, but the focus shifts slightly.

• Soppan smakar bra.
  Clear subject: The soup tastes good.

• Det smakar bra.
  Literally: It tastes good.
  This is more like a general reaction, similar to English “This tastes good” or “It tastes good”, often when the specific thing is clear from context (you’re eating the soup right then).

You’d typically use Det smakar bra:

• when you’re commenting on what you’re currently eating/drinking
• when the specific food/drink has just been mentioned or is obvious

Both are correct; Soppan smakar bra just names the soup explicitly.