Learn Hardcore Polish: Zamiast kawy piję herbatę.

zamiast always takes the genitive, so kawa → genitive singular kawy.
pić (to drink) takes a direct object in the accusative, so herbata → accusative singular herbatę. Both nouns are feminine; their endings (-y for genitive, -ę for accusative) reflect that. Note: under negation, the object of pić normally switches to genitive (e.g., Nie piję herbaty).

Is the word order fixed? Do I need a comma after the first phrase?

Word order is flexible. Neutral options include:
- Zamiast kawy piję herbatę.
- Piję herbatę zamiast kawy.
- For emphasis on tea: Herbatę piję zamiast kawy.
No comma is needed here because the fronted phrase is just a prepositional phrase. You do use a comma when introducing a clause or an infinitival phrase: Zamiast pić kawę, piję herbatę.

What’s the difference between piję and pije?

piję = I drink (1st person singular).
pije = he/she/it drinks (3rd person singular). Mini conjugation of pić (present): ja piję, ty pijesz, on/ona pije, my pijemy, wy pijecie, oni/one piją.

Does the present tense here mean “right now” or “habitually”?

Both are possible; context decides. Piję can mean “I am drinking (now)” or “I (generally) drink.” If you want to stress habit, you can add an adverb like zwykle (usually): Zamiast kawy zwykle piję herbatę.

How do I pronounce piję and the final ę in herbatę?

j sounds like English “y.” piję ≈ “PEE-yeh.”
Final ę is typically pronounced like plain “e” in everyday speech, so herbatę ≈ “her-BA-teh.”
Polish stress is on the penultimate syllable: ZA-miast KA-wy PI-ję her-BA-tę.

Can I omit the subject pronoun ja?

Yes. Polish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. Piję already means “I drink.” Use Ja piję only for emphasis or contrast.

How do I say “instead of drinking coffee”?

Use an infinitive phrase: Zamiast pić kawę, piję herbatę. Note that kawę stays accusative here because it’s the object of pić, not governed directly by zamiast.

Is kawy singular or plural here?

Singular (genitive). The form kawy can also be nominative plural (“coffees”), but after zamiast it must be genitive singular.

How do adjectives agree in this sentence?

Adjectives match the case, number, and gender of the nouns:

Genitive singular feminine after zamiast: zamiast czarnej kawy
Accusative singular feminine after piję: piję zieloną herbatę Full example: Zamiast czarnej kawy piję zieloną herbatę.

Could I say herbaty instead of herbatę?

Not with piję in an affirmative sentence; you need accusative (herbatę). Genitive (herbaty) appears:

after negation: Nie piję herbaty.
with certain verbs/phrases that take partitive/genitive: Napiję się herbaty.

Are there other ways to express “instead of” here?

Zamiast tego: Nie piję kawy; zamiast tego piję herbatę.
a nie (… not …): Piję herbatę, a nie kawę.
miast is a literary/archaic alternative to zamiast. Use zamiast as your default; it’s the most natural.

Where can I put time/place phrases?

Polish allows several placements; keep it clear:

Rano zamiast kawy piję herbatę.
W pracy zamiast kawy piję herbatę.
Piję herbatę rano zamiast kawy. Avoid splitting zamiast from its noun in a way that confuses readers.