Learn Hardcore Polish: On słucha uważnie, ale moja koleżanka pyta o różne pomysły. - He listens carefully, but my friend female asks about different ideas.

In Polish, you put a comma before the coordinating conjunction ale (“but”) when it links two clauses.
So On słucha uważnie, ale moja koleżanka pyta o różne pomysły is correct.
You do not put a comma after ale.

Can I drop the pronoun "On"?

Yes. Polish is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending shows the person, so the subject pronoun is often omitted.
Słucha uważnie, ale moja koleżanka pyta o różne pomysły is perfectly natural.
Keeping On can add contrast/emphasis (He, as opposed to someone else, listens carefully).

Does "słucha" mean “hear” or “listen”?

słuchać = to listen (intentional, active). Example: Słucham radia “I listen to the radio.”
słyszeć = to hear (perception). Example: Słyszę hałas “I hear noise.”
In your sentence, słucha is “listens.”

Where can the adverb "uważnie" go?

Common positions: On słucha uważnie, On uważnie słucha, Słucha uważnie (if you drop the pronoun).
All are fine; word order is flexible and used for flow or emphasis. Placing the adverb right after or before the verb is most typical.

What case does "pytać o" take, and why is it "o różne pomysły" not "o pomysłach"?

pytać o + accusative (biernik). Hence: o różne pomysły.
Contrast: mówić/rozmawiać o + locative (miejscownik): o pomysłach (“about ideas” when talking about them).
Parsing: różne (accusative plural non‑masculine‑personal) + pomysły (accusative plural of a masculine inanimate noun; same as nominative plural).

Why is it "różne" and not "różni"?

Polish adjectives in the plural have different forms for masculine personal (groups of men or mixed groups with at least one man) vs. all other nouns.
For non‑masculine‑personal nouns like pomysły (ideas), use różne: różne pomysły.
różni is used with masculine personal: różni nauczyciele (“various male teachers” or a mixed group with men).

Is "pytać o" the same as "prosić o"?

No.
- pytać o = ask about (seeking information): pyta o różne pomysły “she asks about various ideas.”
- prosić o = ask for/request (seeking something): prosi o różne pomysły “she asks for various ideas (she’s requesting suggestions).”
Choose based on whether she’s asking questions about ideas or requesting people’s ideas.

What exactly does "koleżanka" mean, and is "moja" the right form?

koleżanka = a female colleague/classmate/acquaintance/friend (not necessarily close; not a romantic “girlfriend”).
moja is the feminine nominative singular form agreeing with koleżanka as the subject: moja koleżanka pyta.
Related words: kolega (male), przyjaciółka (close female friend), dziewczyna (girlfriend).

Does "słuchać" require a special case?

Yes. słuchać governs the genitive for its object:
- słucha muzyki (genitive: muzyki), słucha mnie/rodziców.
In your sentence there’s no object after słucha, so the genitive isn’t visible.

Why not "zapyta" or "spyta" instead of "pyta"?

pyta is imperfective present: “(she) asks” (ongoing/habitual).
zapyta/spyta are perfective; in the “present” form they refer to a single completed future event: “(she) will ask.”
For a present action or habit, use pyta; for a one‑off future act, use zapyta/spyta.

Why is "pyta" the same for “he” and “she”?

In the present tense, 3rd person singular has one form for all genders: on/ona/ono pyta.
Gender shows up in the past: on pytał, ona pytała, ono pytało.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

ł = like English “w”: słucha ≈ “swoo-ha.”
ch = voiceless “h”: słucha has a hard h.
ż = “zh” as in “measure”: uważnie, koleżanka.
y = a central vowel [ɨ], not English “ee”: pomysły.
Stress is usually on the second‑to‑last syllable: słu‑CHA, u‑WAŻ‑nie, ko‑le‑ŻAN‑ka, po‑MY‑sły.