Learn Hardcore Polish: Nasz zespół pracuje razem nad nowym projektem. - Our team is working together on a new project.

Because the grammatical subject is the singular noun zespół (team). Polish verbs agree with the grammatical number, not the real-world number of people in the group. So:

Nasz zespół pracuje = Our team works/is working (3rd person singular).
If you say My pracujemy, that’s “We work/are working” (1st person plural).

Why is it pracować nad (to work on) and not na?

In Polish, the idiomatic verb-preposition pair is pracować nad + Instrumental to mean “work on (develop, improve).”

nad projektem = on a project (developing it).
na
- Locative usually marks physical location (“on/at”), e.g., na uniwersytecie (at the university), not “work on” in the sense of developing.
You also hear pracować przy projekcie (“work on/at a project”)—it suggests involvement or being part of it, sometimes a bit more peripheral than “nad.”

What case is nowym projektem and why?

It’s the Instrumental case, required by nad in this meaning. Masculine singular patterns:

Noun: projekt → Instrumental: projektem (-em)
Adjective: nowy → Instrumental: nowym (-ym) Common mistake to avoid: don’t say nad nowy projekt (that’s Accusative and ungrammatical here).

Does nad ever take a different case?

Yes. nad + Accusative with motion/toward: iść nad morze (to go to the seaside).
For position or the “work on” meaning, it’s nad + Instrumental: pracować nad projektem, lampa wisi nad stołem (the lamp hangs over the table).

Can I move razem elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. Word order is flexible. Neutral and common:

Nasz zespół pracuje razem nad nowym projektem. You can also say:
Nasz zespół razem pracuje nad nowym projektem (slight emphasis on togetherness),
Razem nasz zespół pracuje nad nowym projektem (marked, emphatic).
The core meaning remains; word order mainly adjusts emphasis.

Is razem necessary?

No. Nasz zespół pracuje nad nowym projektem already implies group action, but razem explicitly highlights collaboration. Synonyms: wspólnie, razem wspólnie (more formal: we współpracy “in cooperation”).

What’s the difference between zespół, drużyna, and ekipa?

zespół: team/ensemble broadly (workplace team, research team, music band: zespół muzyczny).
drużyna: mainly sports team (e.g., drużyna piłkarska).
ekipa: crew (film crew, construction crew), more informal in some contexts.

How do I pronounce tricky letters here?

Nasz: sz = “sh” (retroflex); roughly “nash.”
zespół: ł = English “w”; ó = “u.” Stress on the penultimate syllable: ZES-pół.
pracuje: c = “ts”; j = “y” in “yes.” Stress: pra-CU-je.
razem: “z” is voiced “z.” Stress: RA-zem.

How do articles work here—does it mean “a new project” or “the new project”?

Polish has no articles, so nad nowym projektem can mean “on a new project” or “on the new project,” depending on context. To be specific, add a demonstrative:

“on this new project” = nad tym nowym projektem.

What’s the present-tense conjugation of pracować?

ja: pracuję
ty: pracujesz
on/ona/ono: pracuje
my: pracujemy
wy: pracujecie
oni/one: pracują Your sentence uses 3rd person singular: pracuje.

Why nasz and not nasza/nasze/nasi?

Agreement with zespół (masculine, singular):

Masculine singular: nasz zespół
Feminine singular: nasza drużyna
Neuter singular: nasze biuro
Plural (non-masculine-personal): nasze zespoły
Plural (masculine-personal): nasi koledzy

How does zespół decline, and does the ó change?

Yes, ó often alternates with o in inflection.

Nom. sg: zespół
Gen. sg: zespołu (notice o)
Loc. sg: zespole
Nom. pl: zespoły In plural subject: Nasze zespoły pracują… (verb now 3rd person plural).

Can I drop nasz?

You can, but you’ll lose the “our.”

Zespół pracuje… = “The team is working…” (whose team? unspecified).
Use nasz to keep ownership explicit.

Is “Nasz zespół pracuje na nowym projekcie” acceptable?

No. For “work on a project,” use pracować nad + Instrumental: nad nowym projektem.
Use na + Locative for places/contexts (e.g., na projekcie is nonstandard in this meaning; prefer przy projekcie for “be involved with a project”).