Learn Hardcore Polish: Ona odbiera paczkę, a ja odbieram bilety. - She is picking up the package, and I am picking up the tickets.

a links two clauses with a mild contrast or opposition, often when the subjects differ. It reads like whereas.
i is a straightforward and. Using i here would either sound clunky (Ona odbiera paczkę i ja odbieram bilety) or risk implying the same subject for both actions (Ona odbiera paczkę i odbiera bilety = she does both).
So in this sentence, a is the natural choice to contrast what she does with what I do.

Why is there a comma before a?

In Polish, a comma is required before coordinating conjunctions like a, ale, lecz, jednak when they join two clauses. Hence the comma before a is obligatory.

Why is it paczkę and bilety rather than the dictionary forms paczka and bilet?

They are direct objects, so they appear in the accusative case.
Feminine nouns ending in -a typically take -ę in the singular accusative: paczka → paczkę.
Masculine inanimate nouns take the nominative plural form as their accusative plural: bilet → bilety.

Do I need the subject pronouns ona and ja? Can they be dropped?

Polish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows person and number.
You can say: Odbiera paczkę, a odbieram bilety.
Here, ona clarifies gender in the first clause (he/she/it all look like odbiera), and ja adds a clear contrast after a. They’re optional but helpful for emphasis and clarity.

What’s the difference between odbiera and odbieram?

They’re present-tense forms of odbierać (to pick up/collect, imperfective):

ja odbieram
ty odbierasz
on/ona/ono odbiera
my odbieramy
wy odbieracie
oni/one odbierają

How do aspect and future work with odbierać/odebrać?

odbierać (imperfective) = ongoing, habitual, or process.
odebrać (perfective) = a single, completed act.
For a single future pickup, use the perfective future: Ona odbierze paczkę, a ja odbiorę bilety.
For an ongoing or planned future activity, use the periphrastic future of the imperfective: Ona będzie odbierać paczkę, a ja będę odbierać bilety.

Does the Polish present cover the English progressive (is picking up)?

Yes. Polish has no separate progressive form. Context or adverbs make it clear:

Right now: Ona teraz odbiera paczkę, a ja właśnie odbieram bilety.
Habitually: Ona zwykle odbiera paczkę, a ja zwykle odbieram bilety.

Why is it bilety and not biletów? When do I use biletów?

bilety is the accusative plural (same as nominative plural) used for a direct object.
biletów is the genitive plural, used after negation and certain quantities/expressions:
- Negation: Nie odbieram biletów.
- Quantities: pięć biletów, dużo biletów, nie ma biletów.

How would I negate this sentence? Do the cases change?

Ona nie odbiera paczki, a ja nie odbieram biletów.
Under negation, Polish typically uses the genitive for direct objects: paczkę → paczki, bilety → biletów.

Can I change the word order for emphasis?

Yes. Polish word order is flexible and can highlight different elements:

Neutral: Ona odbiera paczkę, a ja odbieram bilety.
Emphasis on who: Paczkę odbiera ona, a bilety odbieram ja.
Emphasis on what I pick up: Bilety odbieram ja, a paczkę ona.
The default SVO order is most neutral; fronting an object adds focus.

Pronunciation tips for tricky parts like odbiera and paczkę?

ja = ya (j as in English y in yes).
odbiera ≈ od-BYE-ra; stress the second-to-last syllable.
paczkę ≈ PAHCH-keh(n); cz like ch in church; final ę is a nasal e and often sounds like a plain e or a faint en.
bilety ≈ bee-LEH-tee; stress on LE.

Could I use other words, like a different verb or a different word for package?

Verbs:
- odebrać (perf.) / odbierać (imperf.) = pick up, collect (from a place or after a notification). Natural here.
- wziąć = to take (pick up and take with you), but less about collecting something that’s waiting for you.
- zabrać = to take away (often from someone/somewhere).
Nouns:
- paczka = package/parcel (most common).
- przesyłka = shipment/consignment (more formal/postal).
- pakiet = a bundle/set/package (of services, documents, etc.), not usually a cardboard parcel.

How would I say this in the past?

Completed action (perfective): Ona odebrała paczkę, a ja odebrałem/odebrałam bilety (my ending matches the speaker’s gender).
Ongoing/was doing (imperfective): Ona odbierała paczkę, a ja odbierałem/odbierałam bilety.

Do I need a preposition like from?

Not unless you name the place. The verb takes a direct object by itself. If you add a location:

From the post office: odebrać paczkę z poczty
At the box office: odebrać bilety w kasie