Przy śniadaniu czytam gazetę.

Because przy requires the locative case, and śniadanie changes in the locative singular to śniadaniu.

• dictionary form: śniadanie = breakfast
• after przy: przy śniadaniu = at breakfast / during breakfast

So this is a case change caused by the preposition.

In this sentence, przy means something like at, during, or over in the context of an activity or situation.

So:

• przy śniadaniu = at breakfast, during breakfast

It does not literally mean physical closeness here, even though przy often means by or next to in other contexts.

Because czytać normally takes a direct object, and in Polish a feminine singular direct object usually goes into the accusative case.

• nominative: gazeta = newspaper
• accusative: gazetę = newspaper (as the thing being read)

So:

• czytam gazetę = I am reading a newspaper / I read the newspaper

It is the present tense of czytać: czytam = I read / I am reading.

In Polish, the same present-tense form can often translate as either:

• I read
• I am reading

The exact English translation depends on context. In this sentence, English would often prefer I’m reading a newspaper at breakfast, but I read a newspaper at breakfast can also work depending on meaning.

Because Polish usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb already shows who is doing the action.

• czytam already means I read / I am reading

So ja is normally omitted unless you want emphasis or contrast:

• Czytam gazetę. = I’m reading a newspaper.
• Ja czytam gazetę, a on ogląda telewizję. = I’m reading the newspaper, and he’s watching TV.

It is the locative singular of śniadanie.

This happens because przy is one of the prepositions that requires the locative.

Pattern:

• nominative: śniadanie
• locative: śniadaniu

This -u ending is common with many neuter nouns in -anie / -enie, though learners should still treat case forms as something to memorize carefully.

It is the accusative singular of the feminine noun gazeta.

Pattern:

• nominative: gazeta
• accusative: gazetę

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative singular changes to -ę.

No. Polish word order is relatively flexible, and different orders can sound more natural depending on emphasis.

For example:

• Przy śniadaniu czytam gazetę. = neutral; sets the scene first
• Czytam gazetę przy śniadaniu. = also natural
• Gazetę czytam przy śniadaniu. = emphasizes the newspaper
• Przy śniadaniu gazetę czytam. = more marked, used for special emphasis

The basic meaning stays similar, but the focus can shift.

They are very close, but not always identical in tone.

• przy śniadaniu sounds natural and everyday: at breakfast, over breakfast
• podczas śniadania means during breakfast and can sound a bit more formal or explicit

In this sentence, both can work:

• Przy śniadaniu czytam gazetę.
• Podczas śniadania czytam gazetę.

But przy śniadaniu is very idiomatic for daily routine.

Polish has no articles like a or the, so gazetę can mean either:

• a newspaper
• the newspaper

The context tells you which meaning is intended.

So czytam gazetę could mean:

• I’m reading a newspaper
• I’m reading the newspaper

Czytać is imperfective. That makes sense here because the sentence describes an ongoing activity or a habitual action.

• czytać = to read, be reading, read regularly
• przeczytać = to read through / finish reading, perfective

So:

• Czytam gazetę. = I’m reading / I read
• Przeczytam gazetę. = I will read / I will finish reading the newspaper

In this sentence, the imperfective is the natural choice.

A rough pronunciation for an English speaker is:

pshih shnya-DA-nyu CHY-tam ga-ZE-ten

A few helpful points:

• przy sounds roughly like pshih
• ś is a soft sh sound
• ni in śniadaniu sounds like nya
• czy sounds roughly like chy in English transcription
• ę at the end of gazetę is a nasal vowel, but in normal speech it is often pronounced close to -e or -en depending on context

This is only approximate, but it can help at the start.