Zwykle wsiadam do autobusu po pracy, ale dziś wolę iść pieszo do domu.

They mean different things.

• wsiadać / wsiąść do autobusu = to get on / board the bus
• jechać autobusem = to go / travel by bus

So in this sentence, wsiadam do autobusu focuses on the action of getting on the bus after work, not the whole journey.

If you said:

• Zwykle jadę autobusem po pracy — I usually go by bus after work

that would also be natural, but it would express a slightly different idea.

Autobusu is genitive singular.

The preposition do usually takes the genitive when it means to, into, toward a place or container.

So:

• autobus = nominative
• do autobusu = genitive after do

This is the normal pattern with verbs like:

• wsiadać do autobusu — to get on the bus
• iść do domu — to go home
• wracać do pracy — to return to work

Here po means after, and in this meaning it takes the locative case.

So:

• praca = nominative
• po pracy = locative

This is a very common expression:

• po pracy — after work
• po lekcji — after class
• po obiedzie — after lunch

Be careful: po can take different meanings in different contexts, but in expressions like after work, it commonly goes with the locative.

Because Polish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

Here:

• wsiadam = I get on / I am getting on
• wolę = I prefer

The endings already show that the subject is I, so ja is unnecessary.

You could say Ja zwykle wsiadam..., but that would add emphasis, like I usually get on the bus...

Because iść and chodzić are not the same.

• iść = to go on foot in one specific instance / one direction
• chodzić = to walk habitually, repeatedly, or in general

In this sentence, dziś means today, so the speaker is talking about one specific trip home today:

• dziś wolę iść pieszo do domu — today I prefer to walk home

If you said wolę chodzić pieszo do domu, it would sound more like a general habit or preference.

Yes, sometimes, but the nuance is a little different.

• iść is imperfective
• pójść is perfective

With wolę, Polish often uses iść because it expresses the activity in a general, natural way:

• wolę iść pieszo — I prefer to walk

Wolę pójść pieszo is also possible, but it can sound a bit more like I’d rather go on foot this one time, with slightly stronger focus on a single completed trip.

For learners, wolę iść is the safest and most natural choice here.

Pieszo is an adverb meaning on foot.

So:

• iść pieszo = to go on foot / to walk

It works like an adverb, so you do not need a preposition.

Another common expression is:

• na piechotę — on foot

Both are correct:

• Idę pieszo
• Idę na piechotę

Pieszo is concise and very common.

Because do requires the genitive.

The noun changes like this:

• dom = nominative
• domu = genitive

So:

• iść do domu — to go home

This is one of the most common Polish expressions, so it is worth learning as a fixed phrase.

Because the sentence describes movement toward home, not being at home.

• do domu = to home / homeward
• w domu = in/at home

Compare:

• Idę do domu — I’m going home
• Jestem w domu — I’m at home

This movement-vs-location contrast is very important in Polish.

Zwykle means usually.

It tells you that the first part is a habit or typical routine:

• Zwykle wsiadam do autobusu po pracy — I usually get on the bus after work

It contrasts with dziś (today), which introduces an exception:

• ale dziś... — but today...

So the overall structure is:

• normally X, but today Y

Because in Polish, the present tense is often used for habitual actions.

So wsiadam can mean:

• I am getting on
• I get on
• I usually get on

The adverb zwykle makes the habitual meaning clear.

This is similar to English I usually take the bus, where the present tense also describes a routine.

Polish word order is quite flexible, although some versions sound more neutral than others.

The given sentence is very natural:

• Zwykle wsiadam do autobusu po pracy, ale dziś wolę iść pieszo do domu.

You could also hear:

• Po pracy zwykle wsiadam do autobusu...
• Ale dziś wolę pieszo iść do domu — possible, but less neutral
• Dziś wolę iść do domu pieszo — also possible

The main difference is usually emphasis, not basic meaning.

Dziś and dzisiaj both mean today.

They are usually interchangeable:

• dziś
• dzisiaj

Dziś is a little shorter and often feels slightly more compact or conversational, but both are perfectly normal.

So you could also say:

• ...ale dzisiaj wolę iść pieszo do domu.

Yes, but in Polish you normally do not repeat ja unless you want emphasis or contrast.

So the natural Polish version is:

• Zwykle wsiadam do autobusu po pracy, ale dziś wolę...

If you said:

• ...ale dziś ja wolę iść pieszo do domu

that would sound more emphatic, almost like:

• ...but today I prefer to walk home

So leaving out ja is the normal choice.