Wolałbym tamten, bo jest bliżej okna.

Wolałbym means I would prefer.

It comes from the verb woleć = to prefer. The ending -bym makes it conditional, so it sounds like would prefer rather than plain prefer.

So:

• wolę = I prefer
• wolałbym = I would prefer (said by a man)
• wolałabym = I would prefer (said by a woman)

In this sentence, Wolałbym tamten means I’d prefer that one.

Because Wolałbym is softer and more polite. It often sounds more natural in situations where someone is choosing between options.

Compare:

• Wolę tamten. = I prefer that one.
• Wolałbym tamten. = I’d prefer that one.

The second one can sound less direct, more tentative, or more polite—similar to English I’d prefer...

The -m shows first person singular: I.

In Polish, personal pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject. So you do not need ja.

• Wolałbym = I would prefer
• Wolałbyś = you would prefer
• Wolałby = he would prefer

That is why the sentence does not need Ja wolałbym..., unless you want extra emphasis.

Tamten means that one over there or simply that one, usually referring to something farther away or less immediate than ten.

A useful contrast is:

• ten = this / this one
• tamten = that / that one

In the sentence, tamten stands on its own, but it really means that one with some noun understood from context, such as seat, table, chair, etc.

Because tamten has to match the gender of the noun it refers to.

Polish adjectives and pronoun-like words agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Examples:

• tamten = masculine
• tamta = feminine
• tamto = neuter
• tamci / tamte = plural

So if the hidden noun is masculine, such as fotel or stół, you use tamten.

For example:

• Wolałbym tamten fotel. = I’d prefer that armchair.
• Wolałbym tamtą lampę. = I’d prefer that lamp.

In your sentence, the noun is omitted, but the masculine form suggests the missing noun is masculine.

Yes, very likely.

Polish often omits a noun when it is obvious from the situation. So tamten can mean:

• that one
• that chair
• that seat
• that table

depending on context.

This works much like English that one, but in Polish the form still shows grammatical gender, so it gives you a clue about the omitted noun.

Bo means because.

Yes, it is a very common, everyday word and is slightly more conversational than some alternatives.

Compare:

• bo = common spoken and written because
• ponieważ = more formal because / since
• gdyż = formal/literary because

So:

• Wolałbym tamten, bo jest bliżej okna.
• Wolałbym tamten, ponieważ jest bliżej okna.

Both are correct, but bo sounds very natural in ordinary conversation.

Because jest bliżej okna already means it is closer to the window, and the subject is understood from context.

In Polish, once the thing being discussed is clear, you often do not repeat it. Here, jest = it is, but Polish does not need a separate word for it.

So the full sense is something like:

• I’d prefer that one, because it’s closer to the window.

The it is hidden in Polish and understood from the conversation.

Bliżej means closer.

It is the comparative form related to blisko = near / close.

Compare:

• blisko = near
• bliżej = closer
• najbliżej = closest

So:

• Jest blisko okna. = It is near the window.
• Jest bliżej okna. = It is closer to the window.

Sometimes English learners expect an extra word meaning more, but Polish usually builds the comparative directly into one word.

Because bliżej requires the genitive case, and okno in the genitive singular becomes okna.

So:

• nominative: okno = window
• genitive: okna

After words like bliżej (closer), Polish uses the genitive:

• bliżej domu = closer to the house
• bliżej szkoły = closer to the school
• bliżej okna = closer to the window

This is a very common pattern and worth memorizing.

Because Polish expresses that idea differently from English.

English says:

• closer to the window

Polish says:

• bliżej okna

The meaning to is built into the structure. You do not need a separate preposition here. Instead, bliżej is followed by a noun in the genitive case.

So this is not a word-for-word match with English, but the meaning is the same.

Yes. Polish word order is more flexible than English, although some orders sound more natural in neutral speech.

The original sentence:

• Wolałbym tamten, bo jest bliżej okna.

is natural and neutral.

You could also hear:

• Bo jest bliżej okna, wolałbym tamten.
• Tamten wolałbym, bo jest bliżej okna.

These alternatives may add emphasis or sound more marked. For a learner, the original version is the safest and most natural everyday choice.

Yes, normally yes.

In Polish, clauses introduced by bo are typically separated by a comma:

• Wolałbym tamten, bo jest bliżej okna.

This is standard punctuation.

Yes, only the first word changes:

• said by a man: Wolałbym tamten, bo jest bliżej okna.
• said by a woman: Wolałabym tamten, bo jest bliżej okna.

The rest stays the same.

This is because past-like and conditional forms in Polish often reflect the speaker’s gender.

Yes. Depending on context, Wolałbym tamten can be translated as:

• I’d prefer that one
• I’d rather have that one
• I’d rather take that one

All of these can work in natural English. The exact translation depends on the situation: choosing a seat, an object, a room, and so on.