Nowa żarówka leży obok kabla, a drugie gniazdko jest za szafą.

Because żarówka is a feminine noun, and adjectives in Polish must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

So in the nominative singular:

• nowy = masculine
• nowa = feminine
• nowe = neuter

Since żarówka is feminine, you say nowa żarówka.

For the same reason: adjective agreement.

Gniazdko is a neuter noun, so the adjective drugi has to change to the neuter form:

• drugi = masculine
• druga = feminine
• drugie = neuter

So:

• drugie gniazdko = the second / another outlet

Kabla is the genitive singular form of kabel.

That happens because the preposition obok requires the genitive case.

So:

• kabel = nominative
• obok kabla = next to the cable

Many Polish prepositions force a specific case, and obok is one of the ones that takes the genitive.

Because za can take different cases depending on meaning.

In this sentence, za szafą means behind the wardrobe/cabinet in a static location, so za takes the instrumental case.

That gives:

• szafa = nominative
• za szafą = instrumental after za with location

Compare:

• jest za szafą = it is behind the wardrobe → location, so instrumental
• idzie za szafę = he/she goes behind the wardrobe → movement toward a place, so accusative

Because Polish often uses more specific location verbs than English.

• leży comes from leżeć, meaning to lie or to be lying
• jest simply means is

So:

• żarówka leży obok kabla suggests the bulb is physically lying there
• gniazdko jest za szafą simply states where the outlet is located

In English, both parts might just use is, but Polish often prefers leży for an object resting somewhere.

Both can mean and, but they are not used exactly the same way.

• i usually just joins things directly: X and Y
• a often connects two pieces of information with a slight contrast, shift, or separation

Here:

• Nowa żarówka leży obok kabla, a drugie gniazdko jest za szafą.

This sounds like:

• The new light bulb is next to the cable, and/as for the second outlet, it is behind the wardrobe.

So a is very natural because it introduces a different item and location, not just a simple list.

It most literally means second.

But in real usage, Polish drugi / druga / drugie can sometimes feel like the other or another one, depending on context.

So drugie gniazdko could mean:

• the second outlet
• or the other outlet, if there are two being discussed

Context decides which English translation sounds best.

Polish does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So a noun like żarówka can mean:

• a bulb
• the bulb

And gniazdko can mean:

• an outlet
• the outlet

Which one is meant depends on context. English speakers often notice this immediately, because English requires articles, but Polish does not.

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English because case endings show the grammatical relationships.

The neutral order here is very natural:

• Nowa żarówka leży obok kabla, a drugie gniazdko jest za szafą.

But other orders are possible, for example:

• Obok kabla leży nowa żarówka, a za szafą jest drugie gniazdko.

That version puts more emphasis on the locations.

So the original sentence is normal and neutral, but Polish can move parts around for emphasis, style, or information structure.

Here gniazdko means electrical outlet / socket.

The base word gniazdo means nest, and gniazdko is a diminutive form. In modern everyday Polish, gniazdko is a very common word for a wall socket or outlet.

So even though it historically relates to nest, in this sentence it just means socket/outlet.

Szafa usually means wardrobe, closet, or a large cabinet, depending on context.

So za szafą could be translated as:

• behind the wardrobe
• behind the cabinet
• sometimes behind the closet

The exact English word depends on what kind of furniture is meant.

A rough English-style guide:

• nowa ≈ NO-va
• żarówka ≈ zha-ROOF-ka
• leży ≈ LEH-zhih
• obok ≈ OH-bok
• kabla ≈ KAH-bla
• drugie ≈ DROO-gye
• gniazdko ≈ GNYAZD-ko
• jest ≈ yest
• za szafą ≈ za SHA-faw

A few key sounds:

• ż sounds like the s in measure
• ó sounds like oo
• sz sounds like sh
• ą is a nasal vowel; at the end of szafą, it often sounds roughly like -om or -aw̃, depending on speech

Yes, that would also be grammatical.

• Nowa żarówka jest obok kabla = The new bulb is next to the cable
• Nowa żarówka leży obok kabla = The new bulb is lying next to the cable

The version with leży is more vivid and specific, because it describes the bulb as physically lying there. The version with jest is more neutral and general.