Learn Hardcore Polish: Wieczorem czytam lekturę w sypialni. - In the evening I read the assigned book in the bedroom.

wieczorem – in the evening (usually referring to a specific evening or a general time of day)
- Wieczorem czytam. – I read in the evening. / This evening I’m reading.
wieczorami – in the evenings (repeated action, many evenings)
- Wieczorami czytam. – I (usually) read in the evenings.

So wieczorami emphasizes a habitual, repeated activity more strongly than wieczorem.

Why is it lekturę and not lektura?

Lektura is a feminine noun. In this sentence it is the direct object of the verb czytać (to read), so it must be in the accusative case:

nominative (dictionary form): lektura
accusative (singular, feminine): lekturę

The pattern -a → -ę is typical for many feminine nouns in the accusative:

książka → książkę (a book)
gazeta → gazetę (a newspaper)

So we say czytam lekturę – I read / I am reading (the) reading text.

What exactly does lektura mean? Is it just “book”?

Not exactly. Lektura has a more specific flavor than just książka (book).

Common meanings:

School set text / required reading
- lektury szkolne – books you have to read for school.
Reading material in a neutral sense (especially in more formal/ literary style).

So:

czytam lekturę often suggests I’m reading a book that is on some reading list, particularly a school one.
czytam książkę is more neutral: I’m reading a book (any book).

In everyday speech, książka is more common unless you specifically mean a set text or required reading.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” before lekturę?

Polish does not have articles like a, an, the.

The noun lekturę can mean:

a reading text / a book
the reading text / the book

The exact nuance (a vs the) is inferred from context, not from any word in the sentence.
So czytam lekturę can be translated as either:

I’m reading a set text
I’m reading the set text
depending on what was mentioned or is known in the conversation.

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

Czytam is present tense, imperfective aspect. Polish has one present tense form, and you translate it into English depending on context:

I read (habitually):
- Wieczorem czytam lekturę. – In the evening I read (my) set text.
I am reading (right now / around now):
- Teraz wieczorami czytam lekturę. – These days, in the evenings, I am reading a set text.

So czytam can correspond to both English present simple and present continuous.
The ongoing vs habitual meaning usually comes from adverbs like teraz (now), zwykle (usually), codziennie (every day), etc.

How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “I will read” or “I will finish reading”?

Polish uses aspect to distinguish “will be doing” vs “will finish doing”.

From czytać (imperfective) and przeczytać (perfective):

Będę czytać lekturę wieczorem. – I will be reading the set text in the evening.
(focus on the ongoing action, not completion)
Przeczytam lekturę wieczorem. – I will read / finish the set text in the evening.
(focus on completing it)

So:

czytać – process, not necessarily finished
przeczytać – a single completed act of reading

Why is there no ja (“I”) in the sentence?

Polish is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows person and number.

czytam = ja czytam – I read / I am reading
czytasz = ty czytasz – you read / you are reading
czyta = on / ona / ono czyta – he / she / it reads

You add ja only for emphasis or contrast:

To ja wieczorem czytam lekturę, nie on. – It’s me who reads the set text in the evening, not him.

Why is it w sypialni and not w sypialnię?

The preposition w can take locative or accusative, depending on meaning:

w
- locative → location (where?)
  - w sypialni – in the bedroom (static location)
w
- accusative → movement into (where to?)
  - wchodzę w sypialnię – I’m entering the bedroom (movement into it)

In Wieczorem czytam lekturę w sypialni, you’re already in the bedroom, not moving into it, so w sypialni (locative) is correct.

What case and gender is sypialni? How is it formed?

The base form is sypialnia – bedroom.

Gender: feminine
Here it is: locative singular – sypialni

Many feminine nouns in ‑a form their locative singular in ‑i or ‑e after prepositions like w, na, o:

szkoła → w szkole – in (the) school
kuchnia → w kuchni – in (the) kitchen
sypialnia → w sypialni – in (the) bedroom

So w sypialni = in the bedroom.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Czytam wieczorem lekturę w sypialni?

Yes. Polish word order is flexible, and all of these are grammatical:

Wieczorem czytam lekturę w sypialni.
Wieczorem w sypialni czytam lekturę.
Czytam lekturę wieczorem w sypialni.
W sypialni wieczorem czytam lekturę.

The basic information (evening, reading, set text, bedroom) stays the same.
Word order mainly affects emphasis or rhythm, not core meaning.

Starting with Wieczorem highlights when; starting with W sypialni would highlight where.

Could I say czytam książkę instead of czytam lekturę?

Grammatically, yes:

Wieczorem czytam książkę w sypialni. – In the evening I read a book in the bedroom.

But the meaning shifts:

lekturę – likely a specific, often required or assigned text (e.g. for school).
książkę – any book, no special connotation.

So choose lekturę if you’re talking about a prescribed text, and książkę for an ordinary book.

How do you pronounce Wieczorem czytam lekturę w sypialni?

Approximate English-friendly transcription (stressed syllable in bold):

Wieczorem – vye‑CHO‑rem
czytam – CHI‑tam (Polish cz is like ch in church)
lekturę – lek‑TOO‑reh (final ę is nasal, here close to ehn)
w – like English v
sypialni – si‑PYAL‑ny (soft ni like ny in canyon)

Linking it more smoothly:

Vye-CHO-rem CHI-tam lek-TOO-rehn v si-PYAL-ny.