Breakdown of Podobno znowu przesolili to danie.
ten
this (m)
danie
the dish (meal)
znowu
again
podobno
apparently
przesolić
to oversalt
Questions & Answers about Podobno znowu przesolili to danie.
How does the prefix prze- change the meaning of solić in przesolili?
The base verb solić means "to salt." Adding the prefix prze- creates przesolić, which indicates doing the action to excess—in this case, "to oversalt." In Polish, prze- is commonly attached to verbs to express going beyond a reasonable limit, much like the English prefix "over-". Other examples include przepłacić (to overpay) and przespać (to oversleep).
Who is the subject of przesolili here, since there is no pronoun?
The ending -li indicates the third-person plural masculine personal (virile) form. Here, it acts as an impersonal "they," much like in English when we say "they oversalted it" without referring to specific people. It simply refers to the kitchen staff or whoever prepared the meal.
Does podobno imply that the speaker has tasted the oversalted dish themselves?
No, podobno specifically means "supposedly" or "they say." It shows that the speaker is reporting hearsay rather than their own direct experience. If the speaker had actually tasted the dish and was deducing the mistake, they would more likely use a word like widocznie (evidently / apparently).
Why doesn't the ending of to danie change here?
The phrase to danie is the direct object of the verb przesolili, so it takes the accusative case. However, danie is a neuter noun, and in Polish, neuter nouns have the exact same form in the accusative case as they do in the nominative (dictionary) case.
Learn Podobno znowu przesolili to danie and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free