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Przepraszam, ale czasami jem kolację późno.

Przepraszam, ale czasami jem kolację późno.
Sorry, but I sometimes eat dinner late.
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Questions & Answers about Przepraszam, ale czasami jem kolację późno.

Why is there a comma after Przepraszam?

In Polish, Przepraszam can work like a short interjection (“Excuse me / Sorry”) that’s separated from the main sentence. The comma marks that pause: Przepraszam, ale…
You’ll often see this pattern with other sentence openers too, e.g. Szczerze mówiąc, … (“Honestly, …”).

What exactly does Przepraszam mean here—“sorry” or “excuse me”?

Both are possible in general, but in this kind of sentence it’s usually a polite “sorry” used to soften what you’re about to say (like “Sorry, but…”).
Przepraszam can also mean “excuse me” to get someone’s attention (in a shop, on the street), but then it’s often a standalone word or followed by a request/question.

Why use ale (“but”) after Przepraszam?

Przepraszam, ale… is a very common softening formula. It introduces a contrast: “I’m sorry, but (this is the situation / I have to say…)”.
It can sound more polite than stating the fact directly.

What part of speech is czasami, and can it move around in the sentence?

Czasami is an adverb meaning “sometimes.” It’s flexible in position:

  • Czasami jem kolację późno. (neutral)
  • Jem czasami kolację późno. (also fine; slightly different emphasis)
  • Jem kolację późno czasami. (possible, but less natural)
    Polish word order is more about emphasis than fixed rules.
Is czasami the same as czasem?
They’re very close in meaning (“sometimes”). Czasem is slightly shorter/more colloquial; czasami can feel a bit more neutral or careful. In most everyday contexts they’re interchangeable.
Why is it jem, and what tense/aspect is it?

Jem is 1st person singular present tense of jeść (“to eat”): “I eat / I’m eating” depending on context.
Polish present tense can express:

  • a habitual action: “I eat (sometimes)”
  • an action happening now: “I’m eating (right now)”
    Here, czasami makes it clearly habitual.
Could I say jadam instead of jem?

Yes. Jadam means “I eat (habitually/from time to time)” and strongly signals a repeated habit.

  • Czasami jem kolację późno. = normal, neutral
  • Czasami jadam kolację późno. = more explicitly “I sometimes (tend to) eat…”
    Jadam can sound a bit more formal or “descriptive,” but it’s correct.
Why is it kolację and not kolacja?

Because jeść (“to eat”) takes the direct object in the accusative case.

  • nominative (dictionary form): kolacja
  • accusative singular: kolację
    So jem kolację = “I eat dinner.”
Does Polish have “a/the” here? How do I know if it’s “a dinner” or “the dinner”?

Polish has no articles like “a/the.” Jem kolację simply means “I eat dinner / I’m eating dinner,” and context supplies whether it’s specific or general.
If you need to be more specific, you can add words like:

  • tę kolację = “this dinner”
  • moją kolację = “my dinner”
  • kolację o 19:00 = “dinner at 7 pm”
What does późno mean exactly, and why not później?

Późno is an adverb meaning “late” (describing when something happens): jem… późno = “I eat… late.”
Później means “later” (comparative/relative to something else):

  • Dziś jem kolację później niż zwykle. = “Today I’m eating dinner later than usual.”
    So późno fits the general idea of “late” without an explicit comparison.
How is the stress and pronunciation in this sentence?

Polish stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable:

  • prze-PRA-szam
  • CZA-sa-mi
  • KO-la-cję (stress on KO)
  • PÓŹ-no

A few pronunciation notes:

  • sz is like English “sh”
  • j is like English “y” in “yes”
  • ę in kolację is nasal-ish; at the end it’s often pronounced close to “eh” with a slight nasal quality (and in fast speech it may sound very light)