Moja teściowa lubi spacerować po rynku, a teść woli siedzieć w domu i oglądać wiadomości.

Because teściowa is a feminine noun, so the possessive adjective must also be feminine.

• mój = my (masculine)
• moja = my (feminine)
• moje = my (neuter)

So:

• moja teściowa = my mother-in-law
• mój teść = my father-in-law

In the sentence, only teściowa is explicitly marked with moja, but it is understood that teść is also my father-in-law.

These are family words:

• teściowa = mother-in-law
• teść = father-in-law

They refer to your spouse’s mother and father.

A learner may also notice that they look related, and they are: they are the feminine and masculine forms of the same family relationship.

Polish often leaves out words that are obvious from context.

So:

• Moja teściowa ..., a teść ...

naturally means:

• My mother-in-law ..., and my father-in-law ...

Adding mój before teść would also be correct:

• Moja teściowa lubi spacerować po rynku, a mój teść woli siedzieć w domu...

That version is a bit more explicit, but the original is perfectly natural.

Because after verbs like lubić (to like) and woleć (to prefer), Polish commonly uses an infinitive to say what someone likes or prefers doing.

So:

• lubi spacerować = likes to walk / likes walking
• woli siedzieć = prefers to sit / prefers sitting

This is very similar to English, where both likes to walk and likes walking are possible.

They are related but not the same:

• lubić = to like
• woleć = to prefer

So:

• Teściowa lubi spacerować = The mother-in-law likes walking.
• Teść woli siedzieć w domu = The father-in-law prefers staying at home.

Woleć usually suggests a comparison, even if the second option is not stated directly.

After lubi and woli, the next verb is usually in the infinitive.

So:

• lubi spacerować = likes to walk
• not lubi spaceruje

Compare:

• Ona spaceruje. = She is walking / She walks.
• Ona lubi spacerować. = She likes to walk.

The first is a finite verb form. The second uses an infinitive after lubi.

Here rynku is in the locative case.

The preposition po often requires the locative when it means something like:

• around
• over
• along
• about the area of

So:

• rynek = market square
• po rynku = around the market square / around the square

The form changes like this:

• nominative: rynek
• locative: rynku

No. This is a very common misunderstanding for English speakers.

In this sentence, po does not mean after. It means something like around or throughout the area of.

So:

• spacerować po rynku = to walk around the market square

Polish po has several meanings, and you have to learn them by context.

Usually not.

In everyday Polish, rynek very often means the market square, especially the central square in a town or city.

So po rynku here most naturally means:

• around the town square
• around the market square

It does not usually mean the market in the abstract economic sense in this kind of sentence.

Because w domu expresses location: being in the house/home.

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

So:

• siedzieć w domu = to sit/stay at home
• iść do domu = to go home

This is a basic Polish distinction:

• w + locative = location
• do + genitive = movement toward

It is the locative case.

The noun is:

• dom = house / home

After w meaning in, Polish normally uses the locative:

• w domu = in the house / at home

So the pattern is:

• nominative: dom
• locative: domu

Wiadomości is the direct object of oglądać, so it is in the accusative case.

The verb:

• oglądać = to watch

What do you watch?

• wiadomości = the news

For many feminine plural nouns, the accusative plural looks the same as the nominative plural, so the form does not visibly change here.

Because Polish treats this word differently from English.

• wiadomość = message / piece of news
• wiadomości = news / news program / news items

So although English uses news as a singular-looking mass noun, Polish commonly uses the plural form wiadomości for the news.

That is completely normal Polish usage.

A often links two parts of a sentence with a mild contrast or comparison.

Here it is like:

• ..., whereas ...
• ..., while ...
• ..., and on the other hand ...

So the sentence contrasts the two people’s preferences:

• the mother-in-law likes walking around the square,
• a the father-in-law prefers staying at home.

It is not exactly the same as plain and.

Because they do different jobs.

• a connects the two main clauses and suggests contrast:
  • Moja teściowa ... , a teść ...
• i connects two actions within the second clause:
  • siedzieć w domu i oglądać wiadomości

So:

• a = while / whereas / and
• i = and

Because it is coordinated with another infinitive: siedzieć.

The structure is:

• woli siedzieć w domu i oglądać wiadomości

That means:

• he prefers to sit at home and to watch the news

Both verbs depend on woli.

Yes, Polish word order is more flexible than English, though not completely free.

For example, these are all possible:

• Moja teściowa lubi spacerować po rynku, a teść woli siedzieć w domu i oglądać wiadomości.
• Teściowa moja lubi spacerować po rynku, a teść woli siedzieć w domu i oglądać wiadomości.
• W domu teść woli siedzieć i oglądać wiadomości.

But the original version is the most neutral and natural.

Word order changes often affect:

• emphasis
• style
• rhythm
• contrast

It is best understood as a general preference or habit, not something happening at this exact moment.

That comes mainly from the verbs:

• lubi = likes
• woli = prefers

These describe usual tastes or preferences. So the sentence means something like:

• she likes walking around the square
• he prefers sitting at home and watching the news

It is about what they generally enjoy doing.

These are third person singular present-tense forms.

• lubi = he/she likes
• woli = he/she prefers

They match the subjects:

• moja teściowa = she
• teść = he

So:

• teściowa lubi
• teść woli

This is standard subject-verb agreement in Polish.

Yes, a few words may be hard for English speakers:

• teściowa
• teść
• wiadomości

The tricky part is often ś / ść / ści.

Very roughly:

• ś is a soft sh-like sound
• ć is a soft ch-like sound
• ści and ścio can sound quite dense to beginners

For example:

• teść has a compact consonant cluster at the end
• wiadomości contains -mości, which also takes practice

The good news is that these sound patterns are very common in Polish, so they become easier with repetition.

Yes, depending on context, it can suggest either:

• literally sit at home
• more loosely stay at home / be at home doing nothing active

In this sentence, because it is contrasted with going out for a walk, many English speakers would naturally translate it more idiomatically as:

• prefer to stay at home and watch the news

So the exact English wording may vary, even though the Polish is the same.