Na końcu pytania stawiamy pytajnik, a nie wykrzyknik.

Na końcu means at the end.

The basic noun is koniec = end, but after na in this expression, Polish uses the locative case, so koniec becomes końcu.

So:

• koniec = end
• na końcu = at the end

This is a very common fixed phrase in Polish.

Because pytania is in the genitive singular.

In this sentence, koniec works like the end of something, and in Polish that something is usually put in the genitive:

• koniec pytania = the end of the question

So in na końcu pytania:

• końcu is locative, because of na końcu
• pytania is genitive, because it depends on koniec

The base form is:

• pytanie = question
• pytania = of the question

In Polish, the 1st person plural is often used to express a general rule, instruction, or habit.

So stawiamy literally means we put/place, but here it is more like:

• we put
• one puts
• you put in the sense of a rule
• the correct thing to use is

This is very natural in textbooks, grammar explanations, and instructions.

So the sentence does not necessarily mean that a specific group of people is doing it right now. It is stating a general rule.

Yes. The verb stawiać literally means to put, to place, or to set.

With punctuation, Polish often uses stawiać where English might say:

• put
• use
• write
• place

So:

• stawiać pytajnik = to put a question mark
• stawiać przecinek = to put a comma

Also, stawiać is the imperfective verb, which fits a general rule or repeated action. It is not about one single completed act, but about normal usage.

They are actually in the accusative singular, because they are the direct objects of stawiamy.

But both pytajnik and wykrzyknik are masculine inanimate nouns, and for that group, the accusative singular is the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• pytajnik = nominative
• pytajnik = accusative

and

• wykrzyknik = nominative
• wykrzyknik = accusative

That is why they look unchanged.

A nie introduces a contrast. Here it means something like:

• and not
• rather than
• not … but instead …

So:

• stawiamy pytajnik, a nie wykrzyknik = we put a question mark, not an exclamation mark

The word a often links two contrasting ideas in Polish. It is not exactly the same as English and or but, but in many sentences it feels like a contrastive connector between them.

Yes, pytajnik is a normal and common word for question mark.

You may also see:

• znak zapytania = question mark

That version is a little more explicit and a bit more formal-sounding.

Similarly:

• wykrzyknik = exclamation mark
• znak wykrzyknienia = exclamation mark

In everyday use, pytajnik and wykrzyknik are very common.

Because Polish has no articles.

English needs words like:

• a question
• the question
• a question mark
• the question mark

Polish simply uses the noun itself, and the context shows whether the meaning is general, indefinite, or definite.

So in this sentence:

• pytania can mean of the question
• pytajnik can mean a question mark or the question mark
• wykrzyknik can mean an exclamation mark or the exclamation mark

Here the sentence is stating a general rule, so English naturally uses a question mark and an exclamation mark.

Yes. Polish word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence begins with Na końcu pytania to set the context first: at the end of a question.

Other versions are possible, for example:

• Pytajnik stawiamy na końcu pytania, a nie wykrzyknik.
• Na końcu pytania stawiamy pytajnik, nie wykrzyknik.

But the original version is very natural and clear for explaining a rule.

In general, changing word order in Polish often changes emphasis more than basic meaning.

Sometimes, but the meaning is slightly different.

• pytanie = question
• zdanie = sentence

A question is often a sentence, but not always treated the same way in grammar explanations. If you want to be precise, na końcu pytania means at the end of a question.

You could also say:

• na końcu zdania pytającego = at the end of an interrogative sentence

That sounds more grammatical/technical.

So:

• na końcu pytania = simple and natural
• na końcu zdania pytającego = more formal/grammatical terminology