Learn Hardcore Polish: Zamiast prasować wieczorem, on prasuje rano przed pracą. - Instead of ironing in the evening, he irons in the morning before work.

Without pronoun (more natural, neutral): Zamiast prasować wieczorem, prasuje rano przed pracą.
With pronoun (adds contrast/emphasis, e.g., not someone else): Zamiast prasować wieczorem, on prasuje rano przed pracą.

Why is there a comma after “Zamiast prasować wieczorem”?

Because the initial “zamiast + infinitive” phrase is an adverbial modifier and Polish punctuation requires a comma after such an introductory element. If you move that phrase, you still use a comma:

On prasuje rano przed pracą, zamiast prasować wieczorem. If the “zamiast …” phrase is set in the middle, set it off with commas on both sides.

What case is used in “przed pracą,” and why?

“Przed” always governs the instrumental case. Praca (nom.) → pracą (instr.). Other examples: przed domem, przed kolacją, przed świętami. Note the contrast: po pracy uses locative (because “po” takes locative).

Why is it “wieczorem,” not “wieczór” or “w wieczór”?

Time-of-day words often use the instrumental singular as an adverbial: wieczorem = “in the evening.” You don’t use a preposition here. Similar patterns:

rankiem (in the morning), popołudniem (in the afternoon), nocą (at night). For habitual, plural times you can say wieczorami (“in the evenings”).

What is “rano” grammatically?

It’s an adverb (indeclinable) meaning “in the morning.” Near-synonyms:

rankiem (instrumental of “ranek”), a bit more formal/literary.
z rana (“early in the morning,” colloquial nuance).

Why use the imperfective “prasować/prasuje” here? Could I use “uprasować/wyprasować”?

The sentence describes a habit, so the imperfective is correct: prasuje (he irons [as an activity]). Perfective forms (wyprasować/uprasować) express a single completed action/result:

Habit: Zamiast prasować wieczorem, prasuje rano…
One-time, result-focused future: Zamiast prasować wieczorem, wyprasuje koszulę rano… (note the needed object and future meaning of perfective present).

Can “zamiast” be followed by a verb like this, or does it need a noun?

Both are possible:

With an infinitive (very common with verbs): Zamiast prasować wieczorem, …
With a noun phrase in the genitive: Zamiast prasowania wieczorem, … (“instead of ironing” as a noun). With pronouns, use genitive forms like zamiast niego (“instead of him”).

Is the word order “rano przed pracą” fixed? Could I say “przed pracą rano”?

Polish word order is flexible. Rano przed pracą (broader time → narrower time) feels most natural, but przed pracą rano is possible with a slight change of rhythm. You can also move time phrases around for emphasis:

Rano przed pracą prasuje, a nie wieczorem.
Prasuje rano przed pracą, zamiast wieczorem.

How would I say “before he goes to work” instead of “before work”?

Use “zanim” + a finite clause, or “przed” + verbal noun:

One specific future event: Zamiast prasować wieczorem, prasuje rano, zanim pójdzie do pracy.
Habitual/typical: … zanim wychodzi do pracy.
Nominal: … przed wyjściem do pracy. (“przed” needs a noun/gerund-like form, not a finite verb.)

Any pronunciation tips for “przed pracą”?

prz = a “p” followed by the retroflex “sz” sound: roughly [pʂ].
Final -d in przed often devoices to [t] before the voiceless p in pracą: [pʂet prat͡sɔ̃].
cz in praca/pracą = [t͡ʂ].
Final ą is nasal; here it’s pronounced approximately [ɔ̃] (often with a slight “w”-like offglide).

Do I need to name what he irons? Is “prasuje” transitive?

“Prasować” is transitive (you can iron something): prasować koszulę, prasować spodnie. But if the object is obvious or irrelevant, Polish often omits it, just like English “He’s ironing.”

Can I say “Instead, he irons in the morning …” with “zamiast tego”?

Yes. Zamiast tego prasuje rano przed pracą. This means “Instead, he irons …” (not explicitly contrasting two gerund actions). Your original sentence with zamiast prasować explicitly contrasts two ways of doing the same activity (ironing in evening vs morning).

Why is it “wieczorem” and not “wieczórem”?

It’s a common orthographic alternation: the noun wieczór has ó, but in the instrumental wieczorem it changes to o. This ó ↔ o alternation appears in many words (e.g., stół → stołem).

Is there a “rather than” construction I could use instead of “zamiast”?

Yes, you can use a comparative structure:

Raczej prasuje rano niż wieczorem. This is stylistically a bit different but perfectly natural.