Przed wędrówką sprawdzamy ekwipunek i mapę turystyczną.

Because przed requires the instrumental case in this sentence.

• wędrówka = the dictionary form, nominative
• wędrówką = instrumental singular

So:

• przed wędrówką = before the hike

This is a very common pattern:

• przed obiadem = before lunch
• przed lekcją = before the lesson
• przed podróżą = before the trip

With przed, the meaning can be either before or in front of, and the context tells you which one is meant.

It is the instrumental singular.

The base noun is:

• wędrówka = hike, trek

In the instrumental singular, many feminine nouns ending in -a change to -ą:

• wędrówka → wędrówką
• mapa → mapą
• książka → książką

Here it appears after przed, so the instrumental is required.

Because this is the direct object of the verb sprawdzamy (we check), so it goes into the accusative case.

The noun is:

• mapa turystyczna = tourist/hiking map

In the accusative singular:

• mapa → mapę
• turystyczna → turystyczną

The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case, so both words change together.

Because Polish nouns behave differently depending on their gender and whether they are animate or inanimate.

• ekwipunek is masculine inanimate
• mapa is feminine

In the accusative singular:

• masculine inanimate nouns often look the same as the nominative
• feminine nouns usually change form

So:

• ekwipunek → ekwipunek
• mapa → mapę

That is why you see:

• sprawdzamy ekwipunek
• sprawdzamy mapę turystyczną

Sprawdzamy is the 1st person plural present tense of sprawdzać.

It means:

• we check
• we are checking

Depending on context, Polish present tense can cover both a general/habitual meaning and a current action.

Examples:

• Przed wyjazdem sprawdzamy dokumenty. = Before leaving, we check the documents. / we are checking the documents.
• Zawsze sprawdzamy prognozę pogody. = We always check the weather forecast.

Because Polish usually does not need a subject pronoun if the verb already shows who is doing the action.

• sprawdzamy already means we check

So my (we) is normally omitted unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Compare:

• Sprawdzamy ekwipunek. = We check the equipment.
• My sprawdzamy ekwipunek, a oni odpoczywają. = We are checking the equipment, and they are resting.

No. Przed can mean either:

• before
• in front of

For example:

• przed wędrówką = before the hike
• przed domem = in front of the house

It still commonly takes the instrumental case in both uses. The context tells you which meaning is intended.

It usually means a tourist map or, more naturally in many contexts, a hiking/trail map.

In Polish, turystyczny often refers to things connected with tourism, travel, hiking, or outdoor activity, not just something “for tourists” in a narrow sense.

So mapa turystyczna often suggests a map useful for hikers or travelers, especially one showing trails or terrain.

Yes. Polish word order is more flexible than English because case endings show grammatical relationships.

The sentence as given:

• Przed wędrówką sprawdzamy ekwipunek i mapę turystyczną.

is a neutral, natural order.

You could also say:

• Sprawdzamy ekwipunek i mapę turystyczną przed wędrówką.
• Ekwipunek i mapę turystyczną sprawdzamy przed wędrówką.

These versions are still grammatical, but the emphasis changes slightly. The original sounds very natural as a general statement.

Because Polish has no articles.

So:

• ekwipunek can mean equipment, the equipment, or sometimes some equipment, depending on context
• mapę turystyczną can mean a tourist map or the tourist map

You understand the exact meaning from the situation, not from separate words like a or the.

Not exactly.

• wędrówka = hike, trek, long walk, wandering on foot
• wycieczka = trip, outing, excursion
• podróż = journey, travel

So przed wędrówką specifically suggests preparing for a hike or trek, not just any kind of travel.

Sprawdzać is imperfective.

That means it focuses on the action as a process, repeated action, or general activity:

• sprawdzamy ekwipunek = we check / we are checking the equipment

Its perfective partner is usually sprawdzić:

• sprawdzimy = we will check / we will have checked, depending on context

In this sentence, the imperfective is natural because it describes a normal preparatory action before a hike.

A few helpful points:

• ę is a nasal vowel, but in real speech its pronunciation changes depending on what follows
• final -ą is often pronounced somewhat like om or a nasal o
• w in Polish sounds like English v
• cz sounds like English ch in chop
• sz sounds like English sh

So roughly:

• sprawdzamy ≈ spra-vdza-mi
• wędrówką ≈ ven-droof-kom (very approximate)
• mapę ≈ ma-peh
• turystyczną ≈ too-ri-stich-nom (approximate)

These are only rough guides, but they can help you get started.