Pokrójcie cebulę i pomidory, a potem dodajcie je do sosu.

Because this is the imperative form for you plural in Polish.

• pokrójcie = cut/chop (you all)
• dodajcie = add (you all)

This form is used:

• when speaking to more than one person
• or sometimes as a polite command/request to someone

Compare:

• pokrój = cut/chop! — to one person, informal
• pokrójcie = cut/chop! — to more than one person, or polite

The same pattern appears with:

• dodaj / dodajcie

So the sentence is addressing you all or using a polite plural-style command.

In Polish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here, -cie tells you the command is for you plural. So wy is unnecessary.

• Pokrójcie cebulę... = Cut the onion...
• Wy pokrójcie cebulę... = more emphatic, like You cut the onion...

Normally, Polish prefers the version without the pronoun unless you want contrast or emphasis.

Pokrójcie comes from pokroić, which is a perfective verb. In this context, it means cut up / chop up completely, focusing on the result.

Polish often has verb pairs:

• kroić = to be cutting / to cut in an ongoing sense
• pokroić = to cut up, to finish cutting

In recipes and instructions, Polish very often uses the perfective imperative, because the speaker wants the action to be completed:

• Pokrójcie cebulę = chop the onion up
• not just be cutting the onion, but get it cut

So pokrójcie is very natural in cooking instructions.

Because cebula is the dictionary form (nominative), but here it is the direct object of the verb, so it must be in the accusative case.

• nominative: cebula = onion
• accusative: cebulę = onion (as the thing being cut)

So:

• Cebula jest świeża. = The onion is fresh.
• Pokrójcie cebulę. = Cut the onion.

This is a very common pattern in Polish: the thing directly affected by the action often goes into the accusative.

Yes, pomidory is also in the accusative, but for this noun the accusative plural happens to look the same as the nominative plural.

• nominative plural: pomidory = tomatoes
• accusative plural: pomidory = tomatoes

That is normal for many inanimate masculine nouns in Polish.

So in this sentence:

• cebulę = accusative singular
• pomidory = accusative plural

Both are objects of pokrójcie.

Je means them, and it refers back to cebulę i pomidory.

So:

• Pokrójcie cebulę i pomidory = Cut the onion and the tomatoes
• a potem dodajcie je do sosu = and then add them to the sauce

Here je is the accusative plural pronoun.

It stands for the two things just mentioned together:

• the onion
• the tomatoes

English also does this:

• Cut the onion and tomatoes, then add them to the sauce.

You normally keep it here, because dodać needs an object: add what?

• dodajcie je do sosu = add them to the sauce

If you removed je, the sentence would feel incomplete unless the object were repeated:

• dodajcie cebulę i pomidory do sosu = add the onion and tomatoes to the sauce

So Polish gives you two natural choices:

• ...dodajcie je do sosu
• ...dodajcie cebulę i pomidory do sosu

Using je avoids repetition.

Because the preposition do requires the genitive case.

• dictionary form: sos
• genitive singular: sosu

So:

• do sosu = into/to the sauce

This is a very important Polish pattern:

• do domu = to the house/home
• do sklepu = to the shop
• do sosu = to the sauce

After do, you should expect the following noun to change form.

Here a potem means something like and then / and after that.

In Polish, a often links actions in a sequence, especially when moving from one step to the next. In instructions, it sounds very natural:

• Pokrójcie..., a potem dodajcie...
  = Cut..., and then add...

I potem is also possible in some contexts, but a potem is extremely common when connecting the next step in a process.

So this is not a literal one-word-for-one-word match with English and. Polish a often works very naturally in step-by-step instructions.

Not completely. Polish word order is more flexible than English, because case endings show the grammatical roles.

This sentence could be rearranged in a few ways, for example:

• Pokrójcie cebulę i pomidory, a potem dodajcie je do sosu.
• Pokrójcie cebulę i pomidory, a je potem dodajcie do sosu. — possible, but more marked
• Potem dodajcie je do sosu. — also fine as a separate step

The original word order is the most neutral and natural for a recipe:

1. action
2. ingredients
3. next action
4. pronoun
5. destination

So yes, word order can change, but the original version is the best standard phrasing.

You would use the singular imperative:

• Pokrój cebulę i pomidory, a potem dodaj je do sosu.

Compare:

• pokrój / dodaj = to one person, informal
• pokrójcie / dodajcie = to more than one person, or polite

So the difference is just the imperative ending.

It most generally means cut up. The exact English translation depends on context.

In a cooking sentence like this, pokroić can often be translated as:

• chop
• slice
• cut up

The Polish verb itself does not always specify the exact shape of the pieces unless another word makes that clear.

For example, Polish can be more specific with phrases like:

• pokroić w kostkę = dice
• pokroić w plasterki = slice into slices
• posiekać = chop/mince more finely

So pokrójcie here is a general recipe-style instruction: cut the onion and tomatoes up.

Here je is pronounced roughly like yeh.

A few quick pronunciation notes for the whole sentence:

• Pokrójcie: the ó sounds like u
• cebulę: the final ę is a nasal vowel, though in normal speech at the end it may sound weaker
• je: like yeh
• sosu: both s sounds are plain s, not z

So je do sosu sounds approximately like yeh do SO-su.

Yes, absolutely.

You could say:

• Pokrójcie cebulę i pomidory, a potem dodajcie cebulę i pomidory do sosu.

That is grammatically correct, but it sounds more repetitive. Polish, like English, usually prefers the pronoun once the reference is clear:

• ...dodajcie je do sosu

So the original sentence is more natural and smoother.