Po pracy podgrzewam zupę w mikrofalówce.

After work I heat up the soup in the microwave.

Breakdown of Po pracy podgrzewam zupę w mikrofalówce.

• ja: I
• w: in
• po: after
• praca: the work

Questions & Answers about Po pracy podgrzewam zupę w mikrofalówce.

Why is it po pracy and not po praca?

Because po here requires the locative case.

• basic form: praca = work
• after po: po pracy = after work

This is a very common pattern in Polish:

• po obiedzie = after lunch
• po szkole = after school
• po filmie = after the movie

So in this sentence, po pracy means after work.

Why is it zupę and not zupa?

Because zupa is the direct object of the verb podgrzewam (I heat up), so it takes the accusative case.

• nominative: zupa = soup
• accusative: zupę = soup (as the thing being heated)

This is very common with feminine nouns ending in -a:

• mam kawę = I have coffee
• widzę kobietę = I see a woman
• jem pizzę = I eat pizza

So podgrzewam zupę literally means I am heating/heating up soup.

What does podgrzewam mean exactly?