Najpierw pracuję, a potem odpoczywam w domu.

First I work, and then I rest at home.

Breakdown of Najpierw pracuję, a potem odpoczywam w domu.

• ja: I
• dom: the house
• w: in
• pracować: to work
• a: and
• najpierw: first
• odpoczywać: to rest
• potem: then

Questions & Answers about Najpierw pracuję, a potem odpoczywam w domu.

Where is the word "I"? Why isn’t it written?

Polish regularly drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. The endings in pracuję and odpoczywam already mean “I,” so ja is optional and used mainly for emphasis: Ja najpierw pracuję, a potem odpoczywam w domu.

What does najpierw mean, and how is it different from pierwszy or po pierwsze?

• najpierw = “first/first of all (in time), to begin with” and is an adverb used for sequencing actions: Najpierw…, potem…
• pierwszy = “first” as an adjective/ordinal before a noun: pierwszy dzień (the first day).
• po pierwsze = “firstly” for listing arguments/points in speech or writing, not for narrating actions.

Common alternatives for the second step are potem, później (“later”), and more formal następnie (“next/subsequently”).

Why is it a potem and not just potem or i potem?

• a potem is the most idiomatic way to say “and then,” with a slight sense of contrast or step-by-step progression.
• You can drop the conjunction: Najpierw pracuję, potem odpoczywam… (also fine, a bit brisk).
• i potem is grammatically OK but less common in this fixed pattern; a potem usually sounds more natural.

Why is there a comma before a?

Polish punctuation requires a comma before coordinating conjunctions like a when they join clauses: …, a …. So the comma is obligatory here.

What tense/aspect are pracuję and odpoczywam? Could I talk about the future?

They are present tense, imperfective aspect. Imperfective present can mean:

• what is happening now,
• a routine,
• or a near-future plan.

To make a clear future:

• Perfective (single, completed event): odpocznę = “I will rest (once).”
• Future imperfective (ongoing): będę odpoczywać = “I will be resting.”

Examples:

• Najpierw pracuję, a potem odpocznę w domu. (today’s plan; step 2 as a single act)
• Najpierw pracuję, a potem będę odpoczywać w domu. (emphasizes the duration of the resting)

Why w domu and not do domu?

• w + Locative = being inside/at a place: w domu = “at home / in the house.”
• do + Genitive = movement toward: do domu = “(to) home.”
  Compare: Jestem w domu (I’m at home) vs Idę do domu (I’m going home).

What case is domu? Why not domie?

domu is Locative singular. The preposition w (meaning “in/at”) takes the Locative for location. For the noun dom, the correct Locative is domu; w domie is nonstandard/archaic—stick with w domu.

Does w domu mean “at home” or “in the house”?

Usually it means “at home” in a general, idiomatic sense. Context can also make it mean “in the house” physically. If you need to specify a particular house, add a determiner: w moim domu (in my house).

Why w and not we?

we is used before some words starting with clusters in w or f to ease pronunciation (e.g., we Wrocławiu, we wtorek, we Francji). Since domu starts with d, the normal form is w domu. We domu is incorrect.

How do I pronounce tricky parts like pracuję, odpoczywam, and najpierw?

• pracuję: j = English “y”; final ę sounds mostly like “e” (lightly nasal or just “eh”) at word end. Roughly “pra-TSOO-yeh.”
• odpoczywam: cz like “ch” in “church”; y is a central vowel (like the i in “myth”); w sounds like English “v.”
• najpierw: aj ~ “eye,” ie ~ “ye,” and final w is pronounced like f (word-final devoicing). Roughly “NIGH-pyervf.”

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Polish word order is flexible for emphasis:

• Najpierw pracuję, a potem w domu odpoczywam. (puts focus on the location)
• Najpierw pracuję, potem odpoczywam w domu. (no conjunction)
  Using Ja adds emphasis: Ja najpierw pracuję…

Are these verbs reflexive? Can I say something with “relax”?

odpoczywać (“to rest”) is not reflexive. If you want “to relax,” use relaksować się:
Najpierw pracuję, a potem relaksuję się w domu.

Do these verb forms change with gender?

Not in the present tense. In the past, they do:

• Male speaker: Najpierw pracowałem, a potem odpoczywałem w domu.
• Female speaker: Najpierw pracowałam, a potem odpoczywałam w domu.

Do the diacritics matter? What’s the difference between pracuję and pracuje?

Yes, they matter a lot.

• pracuję (with ę) = “I work/I’m working” (1st person singular).
• pracuje (with e) = “he/she/it works” (3rd person singular).
  Similarly, odpoczywam = “I rest,” while odpoczywa = “he/she/it rests.”