Learn Hardcore Polish: W samochodzie zwykle słuchamy radia, a w domu oglądamy seriale. - In the car we usually listen to the radio, and at home we watch TV series.

You can’t say w samochód for location; w + accusative is used with movement into something (e.g. wpadł w samochód – he crashed into the car), not for “in the car” as a place.

Why is it w samochodzie but w domu? Why do these endings differ?

Both samochodzie and domu are locative case forms; they just belong to different noun declension patterns.

samochód (car) → locative: samochodzie
dom (house, home) → locative: domu

Polish has several declension types, and each type has its own typical locative ending (like -e, -u, -ie, etc.). So:

w samochodzie = in the car
w domu = at home / in the house

Different endings, same case and same preposition use.

Why is the adverb zwykle placed before słuchamy? Can it go somewhere else?

Zwykle means usually and it’s a frequency adverb. The most neutral position is just before the verb:

W samochodzie zwykle słuchamy radia.

You can move it, but the nuance of emphasis changes a bit:

Zwykle w samochodzie słuchamy radia. – Emphasis more on “as a rule / generally speaking”.
W samochodzie słuchamy zwykle radia. – Slight emphasis on what we usually listen to (the radio, not something else).

All of these are correct; word order in Polish is relatively flexible, but the version in the sentence is the most standard and neutral.

Why is it słuchamy radia and not słuchamy radio?

The verb słuchać (to listen to) requires its object in the genitive case, not in the accusative (which would look like the base form for neuter nouns like radio).

Nominative (dictionary form): radio
Genitive singular: radia

Because słuchać takes genitive, you must say:

słuchamy radia = we listen to the radio

Using słuchamy radio is a typical learner’s error; it sounds wrong to native speakers.

Why does słuchać take the genitive (radia) instead of the accusative?

It’s largely a matter of subcategorization: some Polish verbs are traditionally followed by the genitive rather than the accusative. Słuchać is one of them.

A few points:

Historically, genitive often appears with verbs involving perception, lack, avoidance, etc.
Other common verbs that take genitive: szukać kogoś/czegoś (to look for), potrzebować kogoś/czegoś (to need).

So the pattern is:

słuchać
- genitive → słuchamy radia, słucham muzyki, słuchasz podcastu.

What’s the difference between a and i? Why is it a w domu, not i w domu?

Both a and i can be translated as and, but they’re used differently:

i = simple “and”, adding similar items without contrast.
a = “and” with a contrast or a shift (often like and whereas, and on the other hand).

In this sentence:

W samochodzie zwykle słuchamy radia, a w domu oglądamy seriale.

We contrast what we do in the car with what we do at home. So a is better because it highlights “in the car we do X, whereas at home we do Y”. Using i would be possible but would sound less natural and lose that clear contrast.

Why is there no word for we? Where is the subject?

Polish is a pro-drop language, meaning subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb ending already shows the person and number.

słuchamy = we listen (1st person plural)
oglądamy = we watch (1st person plural)

So we (my) is understood from the verb forms. You could say:

My zwykle słuchamy radia.
My w domu oglądamy seriale.

This is grammatically correct but adds emphasis (“we, as opposed to someone else”). In neutral statements, Polish usually drops my.

Why is it seriale at the end? What form is that?

Seriale is the accusative plural of serial (TV series/show).

Nominative singular: serial
Accusative singular: serial
Nominative plural: seriale
Accusative plural: seriale

For masculine inanimate nouns (like serial), nominative plural and accusative plural look the same: seriale.

Here, oglądamy (we watch) takes a direct object in the accusative, so oglądamy seriale = we watch (TV) series / shows.

Can I say oglądamy serial instead of oglądamy seriale? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but the meaning changes slightly:

oglądamy serial – we are watching one specific series (e.g. just Game of Thrones).
oglądamy seriale – we watch series in general, or we watch several different series.

In the sentence, oglądamy seriale has a more general, habitual feel: “At home, we watch TV series (that’s the kind of thing we watch).”

Why is the present tense used? Could it mean we are listening / we are watching right now?

Polish present tense with imperfective verbs covers both:

Habitual / general actions – what we usually do.
Ongoing actions right now – what we’re doing at the moment.

In this context, with zwykle (usually), the sentence is clearly habitual:

W samochodzie zwykle słuchamy radia = In the car, we usually listen to the radio (as a rule).
w domu oglądamy seriale = at home, we (generally) watch TV series.

To talk about what you’re doing exactly right now, you’d typically use time expressions like teraz, właśnie, together with context.

What’s the difference between w samochodzie and samochodem?

Both involve samochód, but they express different ideas and use different cases:

w samochodzie (locative) = in the car (location; where?)
samochodem (instrumental) = by car (means of transport; how?)

Examples:

W samochodzie zwykle słuchamy radia. – In the car we usually listen to the radio.
Często jeździmy samochodem. – We often travel by car.

You can’t replace one with the other in this sentence, because “by car we listen to the radio” would be odd; the idea is about being inside the car as a place.

Is there any difference between zwykle and zazwyczaj in this kind of sentence?

Both zwykle and zazwyczaj mean usually / generally and are often interchangeable:

W samochodzie zwykle słuchamy radia.
W samochodzie zazwyczaj słuchamy radia.

In everyday speech, zwykle is slightly shorter and a bit more common; zazwyczaj can sound a touch more formal or a bit stronger in some contexts, but the difference is small. Here, either is fine and natural.