Po pracy kroję szczypiorek do kanapek i robię z nich lekki posiłek.

Because po meaning after takes the locative case in time expressions.

• praca = work
• po pracy = after work

So pracy is the locative singular form of praca.

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

Here:

• kroję = I cut / I’m cutting
• robię = I make / I’m making

So adding ja would usually only be for emphasis.

They show 1st person singular, so both verbs mean I ...

• kroić → kroję
• robić → robię

Both are present tense forms, but in Polish the present tense of imperfective verbs can also describe a regular habit, not only something happening right now.

In Polish, szczypiorek is normally treated as a singular mass/collective noun.

So English chives corresponds to Polish szczypiorek, even though English uses a plural form.

This is similar to how different languages package the same idea differently.

Here do kanapek means something like for sandwiches or for use in/on sandwiches.

The preposition do requires the genitive case, so:

• kanapki = sandwiches
• do kanapek = for sandwiches

So kanapek is the genitive plural form of kanapki.

Sometimes yes, but the nuance is a little different.

• do kanapek often means intended for sandwiches or used to make/prepare sandwiches
• na kanapki often means to put on sandwiches or for sandwiches as a topping/filling

In everyday speech, the two can overlap, but do kanapek is very natural here.

Nich is plural, so it does not refer to szczypiorek, because szczypiorek is singular.

It most naturally refers to kanapki understood from do kanapek. In other words, the idea is that the sandwiches become a light meal.

Also, after a preposition like z, Polish uses the longer pronoun form:

• ich = them
• z nich = from them / out of them

If you wanted to refer back to szczypiorek, you would need z niego.

Because z can take different cases with different meanings.

• z + genitive = from / out of
• z + instrumental = with

So:

• z nich = from them / out of them
• z nimi = with them

In this sentence, the meaning is make a light meal out of them, so z nich is correct.

Lekki posiłek is the direct object of robię, so it is in the accusative singular.

But for a masculine inanimate noun like posiłek, the accusative looks the same as the nominative:

• nominative: lekki posiłek
• accusative: lekki posiłek

So even though it is an object, the form does not visibly change.

Most naturally, it sounds like a habitual action or part of a routine:

After work, I cut chives for sandwiches and make a light meal out of them.

That is because kroję and robię are imperfective present-tense forms, which are commonly used for repeated or usual actions.

If you used perfective verbs such as pokroję and zrobię, the meaning would usually shift toward a single completed future action. For example: After work, I’ll cut... and make...

No. Polish word order is fairly flexible because case endings show grammatical relationships.

This order is neutral and natural:

• Po pracy sets the time frame first
• then come the two actions: kroję ... i robię

You can move things around for emphasis, but the version given sounds normal and straightforward.