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Jestem dobrym kucharzem, ale zupa jest za słona.

Jestem dobrym kucharzem, ale zupa jest za słona.
I am a good cook, but the soup is too salty.
From Lesson 185:Too much (za, zbyt)·Polish

Breakdown of Jestem dobrym kucharzem, ale zupa jest za słona.

być
to be
dobry
good
ale
but
zupa
soup
kucharz
cook
za
too (excessively)
słony
salty

Questions & Answers about Jestem dobrym kucharzem, ale zupa jest za słona.

Could I use zbyt instead of za in this sentence?
Yes! You can say zupa jest zbyt słona and it means the exact same thing. za is very common in everyday speech, while zbyt can sound just a tiny bit more formal or written, but both are perfectly correct ways to say "too" before an adjective.
Does the word za change the case of the adjective słona?
No, it doesn't. When za is used to mean "too", it acts as an adverb and doesn't force the words after it to change case. The adjective słona stays in the basic Nominative case to match the feminine subject, zupa.
I know za usually means "behind" or "in". How can I tell it means "too" here?
It's all about what follows it! When za is followed by a noun, it's a preposition meaning "behind" (like za domem) or "in" for time (za godzinę). But when it is placed directly before an adjective or adverb—like słona (salty)—it almost always means "too".
Why is it dobrym kucharzem instead of the basic dictionary form, dobry kucharz?
This is a quick refresher on the Instrumental case. In Polish, when you use the verb być (to be) to state someone's identity, role, or profession, you must use the Instrumental case. So the Nominative dobry kucharz changes to the Instrumental dobrym kucharzem after jestem (I am).

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