Learn Hardcore Polish: Czytam to zdanie jeszcze raz. - I am reading this sentence once again.

So ja czytam to zdanie jeszcze raz is correct but sounds emphasized, like “I am reading this sentence again (not someone else)”.
In normal, neutral speech czytam to zdanie jeszcze raz is enough.

What tense is czytam? Does it mean “I read” or “I am reading”?

Polish has only one present tense, so czytam covers both English forms:

right now: I am reading this sentence again.
habitually / regularly: I read this sentence again (each time / whenever it appears).

Context usually clarifies which meaning is intended. Without extra context, most learners will understand it as “I am reading this sentence again (right now).”

What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of czytam and what aspect is it?

The infinitive is czytać (to read). It is imperfective, which in basic terms means:

it describes ongoing, repeated, or unfinished actions.

The imperfective czytać:

present: czytam – I read / I am reading
past: czytałem / czytałam – I was reading / I read (repeated / process)
future: będę czytał / będę czytać – I will be reading / I will read (over some time).

The perfective partner is przeczytać – to read (through), to finish reading.

How would I say “I will read this sentence again” using perfective aspect?

Use the perfective verb przeczytać (to read through / finish reading):

Przeczytam to zdanie jeszcze raz.

This means you will complete the action of reading this sentence one more time (finish reading it).
Compare:

Będę czytał to zdanie jeszcze raz. – more like I will be reading this sentence again (focus on the process or repetition).
Przeczytam to zdanie jeszcze raz. – I’ll read this sentence again (once, fully).

Why is it to zdanie and not ten zdanie or ta zdanie?

The demonstrative pronoun must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

zdanie (sentence) is neuter singular.
The neuter nominative/accusative demonstrative is to.

Masc. sg.: ten (ten dom – this house)
Fem. sg.: ta (ta książka – this book)
Neut. sg.: to (to zdanie – this sentence)

So to zdanie = this sentence.

What case is to zdanie in, and why?

In czytam to zdanie jeszcze raz, to zdanie is in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of the verb czytam (I read what? → this sentence).

Neuter nouns like zdanie have the same form for:

Nominative (subject): to zdanie jest krótkie – this sentence is short
Accusative (direct object): czytam to zdanie – I am reading this sentence

So the form to zdanie looks the same in both cases; the role is determined by word order and context.

Could I say “Czytam zdanie jeszcze raz” without to? What changes?

Yes:

Czytam zdanie jeszcze raz. – I am reading the sentence again.

Meaning:

With to zdanie – you clearly indicate this particular sentence (pointed out in context).
With just zdanie – it’s more like the sentence in general context, or a sentence (depending on previous conversation).

Both are correct; to zdanie is more specific/demonstrative.

What does jeszcze raz literally mean, and how is it used?

Literally:

jeszcze – still, yet, more
raz – time (as in one time, two times)

Together jeszcze raz means “one more time”, “again”, “once again”.

Common uses:

Powtórz jeszcze raz. – Repeat one more time.
Przeczytaj to jeszcze raz. – Read it again.
Zrób to jeszcze raz. – Do it again.

It’s very neutral and very common.

Is there a difference between jeszcze raz, znowu, and ponownie?

All can translate as “again”, but they have slightly different flavors:

jeszcze raz – literally one more time; very common, neutral, slightly more “countable,” often suggests a single repetition.
znowu – again in general; can imply repeatedly or even slight annoyance depending on tone:
- On znowu spóźniony. – He’s late again.
ponownie – more formal/literary, often in writing or official speech:
- Prosimy ponownie wypełnić formularz. – Please fill out the form again.

In your sentence, the most natural forms are jeszcze raz or znowu:

Czytam to zdanie jeszcze raz. – I’m reading this sentence one more time.
Czytam to zdanie znowu. – I’m reading this sentence again. (slightly more colloquial)

Is the word order fixed? Can I say “Jeszcze raz czytam to zdanie”?

Polish word order is relatively flexible. You can say:

Czytam to zdanie jeszcze raz. – neutral, straightforward.
Jeszcze raz czytam to zdanie. – emphasizes “one more time”; something like once again, I’m reading this sentence.
To zdanie czytam jeszcze raz. – emphasis on “this sentence” (as opposed to another).

The basic recommended order for learners is the one you have: [verb] [object] [adverbial] → czytam to zdanie jeszcze raz.

How would I make this negative: “I am not reading this sentence again”?

Add nie before the verb:

Nie czytam tego zdania jeszcze raz.

Note two changes:

nie
- czytam → verb negation: I am not reading
to zdanie → tego zdania (genitive) after negation in most object positions.

Why genitive? In Polish, direct objects of negated verbs are very often put in the genitive case instead of accusative.

positive: Czytam to zdanie. – accusative (to zdanie)
negative: Nie czytam tego zdania. – genitive (tego zdania)

How do I know that zdanie is neuter, and how does that affect other words?

Clues:

Many nouns ending in -e (like zdanie, okno, dziecko) are neuter.
Dictionary entries usually list nouns with gender (e.g., zdanie (n.)).

Consequences:

The demonstrative must be neuter: to zdanie.
Adjectives in nominative/accusative singular also use neuter forms:
- to krótkie zdanie – this short sentence
- czytam to długie zdanie – I’m reading this long sentence.

So everything that agrees with zdanie (this, that, short, long, etc.) must use neuter forms.

How would I change the subject to “you” or “we” in this sentence?

Change the verb ending:

Czytasz to zdanie jeszcze raz. – You (sg.) are reading this sentence again.
Czytacie to zdanie jeszcze raz. – You (pl.) are reading this sentence again.
Czytamy to zdanie jeszcze raz. – We are reading this sentence again.

Subject pronouns (ty, wy, my) are normally omitted unless emphasized:

Ty czytasz to zdanie jeszcze raz. – You (and not someone else) are reading this sentence again.
My czytamy to zdanie jeszcze raz. – We are the ones reading it again.

Does czytam mean also “I’m studying” like “I’m reading law” in English?

Not in the same way as English.

czytać is mostly “to read written text”.
For studying a subject (as in being enrolled or majoring), Polish typically uses studiować or other verbs:
- Studiuję prawo. – I study law / I’m a law student.
- Uczę się polskiego. – I’m learning Polish.

Using czytać with a noun like prawo would mean reading about law, not formally studying it:

Czytam o prawie. – I’m reading about law.

How would I ask “Are you reading this sentence again?” in Polish?

Change the verb form and add a question mark; no helping verb is needed:

Czytasz to zdanie jeszcze raz?

Polish yes/no questions can be formed just by intonation (no extra word like “do/are” required).
You could optionally add czy at the beginning for clarity/formality:

Czy czytasz to zdanie jeszcze raz?

Both are correct; in everyday speech, Czytasz to zdanie jeszcze raz? is very natural.