Wieczorem wolę książkę niż telewizję.

I

Breakdown of Wieczorem wolę książkę niż telewizję.

• książka: the book
• wieczorem: in the evening
• niż: rather than

Questions & Answers about Wieczorem wolę książkę niż telewizję.

Why is there no word meaning in before wieczorem? In English we say “in the evening”.

Polish often expresses “in/at [time of day]” just by using a noun in a particular case, without any preposition:

• rano – in the morning
• po południu – in the afternoon
• wieczorem – in the evening
• w nocy – at night (this one keeps the preposition w)

So wieczorem by itself already means “in the evening”. Adding w (w wieczorem) would be incorrect.

---

What form is wieczorem, and why is it used?

Wieczorem is the instrumental singular of wieczór (evening).

Polish often uses the instrumental to express time when something happens. In this adverbial use, wieczorem means “in the evening” and functions like an adverb:

• Rano piję kawę. – I drink coffee in the morning.
• Wieczorem wolę książkę. – In the evening I prefer a book.

You will see many time expressions either in the instrumental (like wieczorem) or in forms that have become fixed adverbs (like rano).

---

Can I also say wieczorami? What’s the difference between wieczorem and wieczorami?