Learn Hardcore Polish: Ona wkłada telefon do torby. - She puts the phone into the bag.

Yes, Polish normally drops subject pronouns when the verb ending makes the subject clear. So you can say Wkłada telefon do torby. Use Ona only for emphasis/contrast or when you need to clarify who you’re talking about.

What case is telefon, and why doesn’t it change?

Telefon is the direct object, so it’s accusative. It’s a masculine inanimate noun, and for that class the accusative equals the nominative: telefon. Compare: masculine animate changes, e.g., wkłada psa (dog) vs. masculine inanimate wkłada telefon.

Why is it do torby and not do torba?

The preposition do takes the genitive. Torba (bag) in the genitive singular is torby, hence do torby. Core forms of torba: nom torba, gen torby, acc torbę, loc torbie.

Could I use w instead of do here?

For movement into something, Polish often uses either do (+ gen) or w (+ acc), but with verbs like wkładać/włożyć and container nouns, do is the idiomatic choice: wkłada telefon do torby. Wkłada telefon w torbę is grammatical but sounds odd/rare; use do torby. Remember: w torbie (locative) means “in the bag” (location), not movement.

Why wkłada, not kładzie?

Kłaść – kładzie is “to lay/place (onto a surface).” Wkładać – wkłada is “to put inside.” So you’d say kładzie telefon na stół (onto the table) but wkłada telefon do torby (into the bag).

What’s the perfective partner of wkładać? Is wkłaść a word?

The perfective is włożyć, not “wkłaść.” So the aspect pair is wkładać (imperfective) vs. włożyć (perfective).

How do I say “She put the phone into the bag” (completed past)?

Use the perfective past: Ona włożyła telefon do torby. Imperfective past (Ona wkładała…) describes an ongoing/repeated action or background, not a single completed event.

How do I express the future?

One-time, completed future: perfective present forms act as future: Ona włoży telefon do torby.
Ongoing/habitual future: Ona będzie wkładać telefon do torby (codziennie).

How do I say “into her own bag” vs. “into another woman’s bag”?

Use the reflexive possessive swój for the subject’s own things: Ona wkłada telefon do swojej torby. If it’s another woman’s bag, use jej: Ona wkłada telefon do jej torby. Using jej for the subject’s own bag sounds off; prefer swojej.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Polish word order is flexible for emphasis.

Neutral: Ona wkłada telefon do torby.
Destination focus: Do torby wkłada telefon.
Object focus: Telefon wkłada do torby. (context-dependent; can sound marked) Dropping the subject is also fine: Wkłada telefon do torby.

Any pronunciation tips?

wkłada: stress the second-to-last syllable: wk-KŁA-da. w is normally like English v, but before the voiceless k it devoices, so you’ll often hear something like [fk-WA-da]. ł sounds like English w.
telefon: te-LE-fon (stress on LE).
torby: TOR-by.
do: short “o” as in “lot,” not “dough.”

Where are the articles? How do I say “the/a phone, the/a bag”?

Polish has no articles. Telefon can mean “a phone” or “the phone” from context. To be specific, use demonstratives: ten telefon (this/the phone), ta torba (this/the bag), e.g., Wkłada ten telefon do tej torby.

How does negation affect the sentence?

With negation, direct objects usually switch to the genitive: Ona nie wkłada telefonu do torby. Here telefonu is genitive; do torby stays genitive because of do.

How do I ask questions based on this sentence?

Yes/No: Czy ona wkłada telefon do torby? (You can also drop czy in speech and use rising intonation.)
What is she putting in? Co ona wkłada do torby? – Telefon.
Where is she putting the phone? Gdzie ona wkłada telefon? – Do torby.

Is telefon the usual word for “cell phone”?

It’s fine, but everyday speech often uses komórka (cell/mobile). Then the accusative is komórkę: Ona wkłada komórkę do torby/torebki. You’ll also hear smartfon: wkłada smartfon do torby.

Is torba the same as torebka?

Both mean “bag,” but torebka is typically a smaller handbag/purse; torba is a general bag (shopping bag, tote, etc.). So for “purse,” many would say torebka: wkłada telefon do torebki.

Does wkładać always go with do?

Often, yes, when putting something into a container or receptacle: wkładać baterie do pilota. But you’ll also see:

wkładać na siebie (put on oneself – clothes), though many prefer zakładać for clothing: zakłada kurtkę.
wkładać w coś in abstract senses: wkłada w to dużo pracy (“puts a lot of work into it”).

Can I replace telefon with a pronoun?

Yes. If the phone is already known, say Wkłada go do torby. Here go means “him/it” for masculine inanimate nouns like telefon. For a feminine object, use ją; for neuter, je.