Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy.

Yes. Chcę already tells you the subject is I, so ja is often optional.

Polish frequently drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending. So:

• Chcę odpocząć po pracy. = I want to rest after work.
• Ja chcę odpocząć po pracy. = also correct, but ja adds emphasis or contrast.

In this sentence, ja can suggest something like:

• I also want to rest after work
• as opposed to someone else
• or with a slight emotional emphasis

So ja is not required, but it is natural if the speaker wants to stress I.

Też means too, also, or as well.

In Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy, it means that the speaker is adding themselves to a group or situation:

• someone else wants to rest after work
• and I do too

Its position is fairly flexible, but the placement can slightly change what feels emphasized.

For example:

• Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy. = I also want to rest after work.
• Też chcę odpocząć po pracy. = I also want to rest after work.
• Ja chcę też odpocząć po pracy. = possible, but less neutral in many contexts

The most natural versions are usually:

• Też chcę odpocząć po pracy.
• Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy.

Chcieć is the infinitive, meaning to want.
Chcę is the 1st person singular present tense form: I want.

So:

• chcieć = to want
• chcę = I want
• chcesz = you want
• chce = he/she/it wants
• chcemy = we want
• chcecie = you all want
• chcą = they want

This verb is a bit irregular, so it is worth memorizing its forms.

Because after chcę (I want), Polish normally uses another verb in the infinitive.

So the structure is:

• chcę + infinitive
• I want + to do something

Examples:

• Chcę spać. = I want to sleep.
• Chcę jeść. = I want to eat.
• Chcę odpocząć. = I want to rest.

Unlike English, Polish does not need a separate word like to before the second verb. The infinitive form itself does the job.

This is a question about aspect, which is very important in Polish.

• odpocząć = perfective
• odpoczywać = imperfective

In this sentence, odpocząć is natural because the speaker means to have a rest, to rest for a while, or to get some rest as a complete event.

So:

• Chcę odpocząć po pracy. = I want to rest after work / I want to get some rest after work.

If you said:

• Chcę odpoczywać po pracy

that would sound more like:

• I want to be resting after work
• I want to rest regularly after work
• I want to spend time resting after work

So odpocząć fits a single, complete act of resting, while odpoczywać suggests an ongoing or repeated activity.

Po pracy means after work.

The preposition po often takes the locative case when it means after in time expressions like this.

The noun is:

• praca = work

After po, it changes to the locative singular:

• praca → pracy

So:

• po pracy = after work

Even though pracy can also look like other case forms, here it is specifically the locative because it follows po.

Other examples:

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

Because Polish nouns change form depending on their grammatical role and the preposition used with them.

The basic dictionary form is:

• praca = work

But after po, you need the locative form:

• po pracy

This kind of change is called declension.

For a learner, the key thing to remember is:

• po often requires the locative
• so nouns after po usually change form

You do not need to think pracy = different word. It is the same noun, just in a different case.

Yes, absolutely. That is a very natural sentence.

Because chcę already means I want, the pronoun is not necessary.

Compare:

• Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy. = slightly more emphasis on I
• Też chcę odpocząć po pracy. = very natural, often more neutral

Both are correct. Polish often sounds more natural without the subject pronoun unless you want emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Polish word order is more flexible than English word order, because endings carry a lot of grammatical information.

The most neutral order here is:

• Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy.

But you may also hear:

• Też chcę odpocząć po pracy.
• Po pracy też chcę odpocząć.
• Odpocząć po pracy też chcę. — possible, but marked and more stylistic

Changing the order usually changes emphasis, not the core meaning.

For example:

• Po pracy też chcę odpocząć. emphasizes after work
• Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy. emphasizes I too
• Też chcę odpocząć po pracy. feels neutral and conversational

So yes, the order can change, but some versions sound more natural than others depending on context.

Chcę can be tricky for English speakers.

A helpful approximation is:

• h-tsen or kh-tsen

But that is only approximate.

A few points:

• ch sounds like Polish h / kh
• c sounds like ts
• ę is a nasal vowel, though in everyday speech learners can start with something close to en or a nasal e

So chcę is roughly:

• h-tsę

The cluster at the beginning is difficult, so practice it slowly:

• ch
• cę
• chcę

Even many learners simplify it at first, which is normal.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• ot-po-chonch

But that is only an approximation.

Some useful parts:

• od often sounds closer to ot before a voiceless consonant
• po is straightforward
• cz sounds like English ch in chop
• ą is a nasal vowel, often sounding somewhat like on before consonants
• final ć is a soft sound, a bit like a very soft ch / tch, but more palatal

So a learner-friendly approximation is:

• ot-po-CHONCH

The exact pronunciation is more subtle, but that is a good starting point.

It is the most standard and neutral way in this sentence.

Other expressions exist, but they may mean slightly different things or sound more specific or informal.

For example:

• po pracy = after work — standard, neutral
• po robocie = after work / once work is done — more informal
• po skończeniu pracy = after finishing work — more explicit

For everyday Polish, po pracy is exactly the expression you should learn first.

It can depend on context, but by itself it most naturally sounds like a current desire in a particular situation:

• I also want to rest after work

Because of odpocząć (perfective), it often suggests a complete act of resting, not a repeated habit.

If you wanted to talk more clearly about a general repeated habit, Polish might prefer something like:

• Po pracy chcę odpoczywać. = After work, I want to rest / be resting
• Zwykle chcę odpocząć po pracy. = I usually want to rest after work

But in ordinary speech, Ja też chcę odpocząć po pracy is perfectly natural even if the broader context is something people often do after work.