Learn Hardcore Polish: Wieczorem patrzę na płonące ognisko. - In the evening I look at the burning campfire.

Using w wieczór is not natural in modern Polish in this meaning. You might see wieczór with w in some fixed phrases like w ten wieczór (“this evening”) or w każdy wieczór, but for a simple “in the evening” you say wieczorem.

What is the difference between wieczorem, wieczorami and wieczór?

They all come from wieczór, but they’re used a bit differently:

wieczorem – “in the evening” (usually this/that specific evening, or context decides):
- Wieczorem patrzę na płonące ognisko. – This evening / in the evening I look at the bonfire.
wieczorami – “in the evenings”, i.e. regularly, habitually:
- Wieczorami czytam książki. – I read books in the evenings.
wieczór – the bare noun “evening”, used as a subject or object:
- Ten wieczór jest spokojny. – This evening is calm.
- Lubię ten wieczór. – I like this evening.

So if the sentence describes a routine habit, Wieczorami patrzę na płonące ognisko would sound more clearly habitual than Wieczorem….

Why is there no ja in the sentence? How do we know it means “I”?

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

The verb patrzę ends in ‑ę, which clearly marks 1st person singular (“I”) in the present tense. So:

(Ja) patrzę – I look
(Ty) patrzysz – you look
(On/Ona) patrzy – he/she looks

You normally only add ja if you want to emphasize or contrast:

To ja patrzę na płonące ognisko, nie on. – It’s me who is looking at the bonfire, not him.

What is the infinitive of patrzę, and how does this verb conjugate?

The infinitive is patrzeć – “to look (at), to watch”.

Present tense of patrzeć:

ja patrzę – I look
ty patrzysz – you (sg) look
on / ona / ono patrzy – he / she / it looks
my patrzymy – we look
wy patrzycie – you (pl) look
oni / one patrzą – they look

A key spelling point: the rz stays in every form, but the pronunciation changes slightly due to the surrounding consonants, especially in patrzę and patrzą where trz = “tch” + “zh” blended.

Why do we say patrzę na something, not just patrzę + object?

The verb patrzeć requires the preposition na when you specify what you are looking at:

patrzeć na coś – to look at something

So:

Patrzę na płonące ognisko. – I’m looking at the burning bonfire.
Patrz na mnie! – Look at me!

Without na, patrzeć is incomplete if you mention the thing you’re looking at. Compare:

widzieć coś – to see something (no na)
oglądać coś – to watch something (no na)
patrzeć na coś – to look at something (needs na)

What is the difference between patrzeć, oglądać and widzieć?

These three often confuse learners:

patrzeć (na) – to look (at), to direct your eyes:
- Patrzę na płonące ognisko. – I am looking at the burning bonfire (focusing my gaze).
oglądać – to watch (for a period of time, more active, often about shows, films, etc.):
- Oglądam film. – I’m watching a film.
- Oglądam ognisko. – I’m watching the bonfire (e.g. enjoying it, observing).
widzieć – to see (a state, not an intentional action of looking):
- Widzę ognisko. – I see the bonfire (it’s in my field of vision).

In your sentence, patrzę na emphasizes the act of intentionally looking at the fire.

What case is ognisko in, and why isn’t it ogniska or ognisku?

Here ognisko is in the accusative singular. For neuter nouns like ognisko, the accusative singular has the same form as the nominative singular:

nominative: ognisko
accusative: ognisko

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

na
- accusative – movement towards / target or governed by certain verbs, e.g.:
- patrzeć na ognisko – look at the bonfire
- kłaść coś na stół – put something on the table
na
- locative – static location:
- na ognisku – on the campfire
- na stole – on the table

With patrzeć na, the pattern is always na + accusative, therefore na płonące ognisko.

Why does płonące end with ‑e? What is it agreeing with?

Płonące is a form of an adjective‑like participle that must agree with the noun ognisko in gender, number and case.

ognisko – neuter, singular, accusative
The corresponding adjective/participle ending for neuter singular nominative/accusative is ‑e.

So we get:

płonące ognisko – a burning bonfire (neuter singular)
płonący ogień – a burning fire (masculine singular)
płonąca świeca – a burning candle (feminine singular)
płonące ogniska – burning bonfires (neuter plural; here płonące also works for plural).

Is płonące a verb or an adjective here?

Grammatically, płonące here is an adjectival participle (specifically, a present active adjectival participle) derived from the verb płonąć (“to burn, to be in flames”).

Verb: ognisko płonie – the bonfire is burning.
Participle used as an adjective: płonące ognisko – a burning bonfire.

So it is functioning like an adjective (describing ognisko), but it preserves a verbal flavour: it describes a currently ongoing action/state (the fire that is in the process of burning).

Can I change the word order, for example: Patrzę wieczorem na płonące ognisko or Wieczorem na płonące ognisko patrzę?

Yes. Polish word order is relatively flexible. All of these are grammatically correct:

Wieczorem patrzę na płonące ognisko. (original)
Patrzę wieczorem na płonące ognisko.
Patrzę na płonące ognisko wieczorem.
Wieczorem na płonące ognisko patrzę.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the focus/emphasis can shift slightly:

Putting wieczorem first emphasizes the time.
Putting na płonące ognisko near the end can emphasize what you’re looking at.

For neutral style, the original order is very natural: [Time] + [Verb] + [Object].

How would I clearly say “In the evenings I (habitually) look at the burning bonfire”?

Use wieczorami to express a repeated, habitual action:

Wieczorami patrzę na płonące ognisko.

This sounds like a routine: on many evenings, you do this.

Wieczorem patrzę na płonące ognisko can also mean that, depending on context, but it more readily suggests this evening or on an evening (in general). Wieczorami makes the “every evening / on evenings” idea explicit.

How do you pronounce patrzę and płonące?

Approximate English-based guidance:

patrzę:
- pa – like “pah”
- trz – a blend of “t” + “ch” in “church” + “zh” (it sounds like “tchsh” fused together)
- ę (word-final) – often close to “eh”, slightly nasal, but many speakers pronounce it almost like plain “e” here
Roughly: PAH‑tcheh (with that extra “zh” quality).
płonące:
- pł – p
  - ł; Polish ł is like English “w”: so “pw”
- o – like “o” in “more” (shorter)
- ną – nasal “on”, roughly like French “on” in “bon”, often like “non” but through the nose
- ce – “tseh” (Polish c = “ts”, e as in “ten”)
Roughly: PWON‑on‑tseh (with a nasal “on” in the middle).

Precise IPA (for a careful standard pronunciation):

patrzę – [ˈpat͡ʂɛ̃] (often [ˈpat͡ʂe])
płonące – [pwɔˈnɔnt͡sɛ]

Does ognisko always mean “bonfire/campfire”? Are there other meanings?

Ognisko most commonly means:

a campfire / bonfire: rozpalić ognisko – to light a bonfire.

But it also has some extended meanings:

ognisko domowe – literally “home fire”, idiomatically “home, hearth, family home”.
ognisko choroby – “focus of disease”, e.g. a locus of infection.
ognisko kultury – “cultural centre”.

In isolation, in a nature/camping context, ognisko will naturally be understood as a bonfire/campfire, as in your sentence.