Learn Hardcore Polish: Po teście nauczyciel wysyła wyniki i pisze, na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń. - After the test the teacher sends the results and writes at what level each student is.

Meaning “after” → locative
- po teście – after the test
- po kolacji – after dinner
- po zajęciach – after classes
Meaning “for / to get / in search of” → accusative
- iść po chleb – to go (to get) bread
- pojechać po dzieci – to go (pick up) the children
Meaning “on / over / around” (movement within an area) → locative
- chodzić po parku – to walk in/around the park
- skakać po łóżku – to jump on the bed

So in po teście, because the meaning is after, the locative teście is required.

The English translation uses the past (like “After the test, the teacher sends/sent the results…”). Why does Polish use present tense wysyła and pisze?

In Polish, the present tense is often used for:

habitual or repeated actions
general descriptions of routines

So Po teście nauczyciel wysyła wyniki i pisze… most naturally means:

After (every) test, the teacher sends the results and writes…
(i.e. describing what usually/always happens)

If you wanted a single, completed event in the past, you’d say:

Po teście nauczyciel wysłał wyniki i napisał, na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń.
(After the test, the teacher sent the results and wrote what level each student was at.)

What is the difference between wysyła and forms like wyśle or wysłał?

All these are from the verb wysyłać / wysłać – to send, but they differ in aspect and tense:

wysyła – 3rd person singular, present, imperfective
- focuses on the process or repeated action
- Po teście nauczyciel wysyła wyniki. – After the test, the teacher sends the results (regularly / as a rule).
wyśle – 3rd person singular, future, perfective
- one completed action in the future
- Po teście nauczyciel wyśle wyniki. – The teacher will send the results after the test.
wysłał – 3rd person singular, past, perfective
- one completed action in the past
- Po teście nauczyciel wysłał wyniki. – The teacher sent the results after the test.

So wysyła is used here because the sentence talks about what usually happens, not about a single finished event.

What exactly does wyniki mean here? Is it “grades”, “scores”, or “results”?

wyniki is the plural of wynik, which broadly means result(s).

Context decides the best English word:

In the context of a test, wyniki most often means:
- results, scores, or marks
It could refer to:
- a list of points/percentages
- the overall outcome (e.g. pass/fail)
- possibly grades, if the test translates directly into grades

So in this sentence, wyniki = the test results / scores.

Why is there no comma before i pisze, but there is a comma before na jakim poziomie?

Two different comma rules are at work:

No comma before “i pisze”
- nauczyciel wysyła wyniki i pisze has one subject (nauczyciel) and two verbs (wysyła, pisze) joined by i (and).
- In Polish, when the subject is the same and verbs are joined by i, you normally do not put a comma:
  - Czyta książkę i pije kawę. – He is reading a book and drinking coffee.
Comma before “na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń”
- na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń is a subordinate clause (an indirect question) depending on pisze.
- Subordinate clauses in Polish must be separated by a comma:
  - Pisze, na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń.

So the structure is:

Main clause: Po teście nauczyciel wysyła wyniki i pisze
Subordinate clause: na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń (set off by a comma)

Why don’t we say pisze, że na jakim poziomie…? Why is there no że in front of na jakim poziomie?

The clause na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń is an indirect question, not a simple “that”-clause.

Compare:

Direct question: Na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń? – On what level is each student?
Indirect question:
- Pisze, na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń. – He writes what level each student is at.

In Polish:

że is used for normal “that”-clauses:
- Pisze, że każdy uczeń jest na poziomie B1. – He writes that every student is at level B1.
For indirect questions, you normally don’t add że; you introduce the clause directly with the question word:
- Nie wiem, gdzie on mieszka. – I don’t know where he lives.
- Powiedz mi, kiedy zaczyna się film. – Tell me when the film starts.

So że na jakim poziomie together would sound wrong or very awkward here.

What case is poziomie, and how does the phrase na jakim poziomie work?

na jakim poziomie literally means on what level.

Breaking it down:

poziom – level (noun, masculine)
na – on, at
poziomie – locative singular of poziom
jakim – instrumental/locative form of jaki (what/which) agreeing with poziomie in gender, number, and case

The preposition na can take:

locative when it means on / at a surface or abstract level:
- na stole – on the table
- na uniwersytecie – at the university
- na poziomie A2 – at level A2
accusative when it means to onto / to a place:
- kłaść książkę na stół – to put the book onto the table

Here na means “at (which) level”, so it requires the locative, giving na jakim poziomie.

Why is the word order jest każdy uczeń? Can we also say każdy uczeń jest?

Both word orders are grammatically correct, but they feel different.

In indirect questions, Polish often keeps a question-like word order, where the verb appears early:

Direct question: Na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń?
Indirect: Pisze, na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń.

This keeps the natural flow of the corresponding direct question.

You could say:

Pisze, na jakim poziomie każdy uczeń jest.

but:

it is less common here,
it sounds a bit heavier/marked, and
it slightly shifts focus (każdy uczeń becomes more prominent in the clause).

The original na jakim poziomie jest każdy uczeń sounds very natural and neutral as an indirect question.

Why is it każdy uczeń (singular “each student”), not something plural like wszyscy uczniowie?

In Polish, każdy always goes with a singular noun, even if in English you might say all students or each of the students.

każdy uczeń – each/every student (literally singular)
każdy nauczyciel – every teacher

This is like English each student is (singular verb), not each students are.

If you said:

wszyscy uczniowie – all the students
then the grammar would change:
Pisze, na jakim poziomie są wszyscy uczniowie. – He writes what level all the students are at.

So każdy uczeń emphasizes each individual student, one by one, which fits the idea that the teacher specifies the level for each person.

Can we change the word order in the main clause, for example to Nauczyciel po teście wysyła wyniki…?

Yes, Polish word order is quite flexible, so several versions are possible:

Po teście nauczyciel wysyła wyniki i pisze… (original)
Nauczyciel po teście wysyła wyniki i pisze…
Nauczyciel wysyła wyniki po teście i pisze… (slightly different emphasis)

All are grammatically fine. Differences are mostly in rhythm and emphasis:

Starting with Po teście strongly sets the time frame first: After the test, the teacher…
Starting with Nauczyciel highlights who is doing this: The teacher, after the test, sends…

The original order is very natural and neutral in written Polish.