Przed kartkówką powtarzam słownictwo z podręcznika.

Because after przed meaning before, Polish uses the instrumental case.

• base form: kartkówka = a quiz / short test
• instrumental singular: kartkówką

So:

• przed kartkówką = before the quiz

This is one of the most useful case patterns to memorize:

• przed + instrumental = before / in front of

Examples:

• przed lekcją = before class
• przed egzaminem = before the exam
• przed szkołą = in front of the school

Not exactly. Kartkówka is a very common school word in Polish. It usually means a short quiz, often unannounced or covering recent material.

It is usually:

• shorter than a full test
• much smaller than an exam

Rough comparison:

• kartkówka = quiz / pop quiz / short written test
• test / sprawdzian = test
• egzamin = exam

So this sentence sounds very natural in a school context.

In Polish, powtarzać can mean both:

• to repeat
• to review, especially when studying

So in a learning context, powtarzam słownictwo means:

• I review vocabulary
• literally: I repeat vocabulary

This is very natural Polish. Polish often uses powtarzać where English would prefer review.

Powtarzam is:

• 1st person singular
• present tense
• from the verb powtarzać

So it means:

• I repeat
• I am repeating
• I review
• I’m reviewing

Polish present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous in English, depending on context.

A quick mini-pattern:

• powtarzam = I review
• powtarzasz = you review
• powtarza = he/she/it reviews
• powtarzamy = we review

Słownictwo means vocabulary as a whole, not individual words.

Compare:

• słownictwo = vocabulary
• słowa = words

So:

• powtarzam słownictwo = I review vocabulary
• powtarzam słowa = I repeat/review words

English learners often want to translate vocabulary word-for-word, and słownictwo is the right abstract noun here.

Because Polish has no articles. There is no direct equivalent of a / an / the.

So:

• słownictwo can mean vocabulary or the vocabulary
• z podręcznika can mean from a textbook or from the textbook

Context tells you which one is meant. In this sentence, English often translates it as the textbook, but Polish does not need a separate word for that.

After z meaning from, Polish uses the genitive case.

• base form: podręcznik = textbook
• genitive singular: podręcznika

So:

• z podręcznika = from the textbook

Be careful: z has more than one meaning, and the case can change depending on the meaning.

For example:

• z podręcznika = from the textbook → genitive
• z nauczycielem = with the teacher → instrumental

So you have to learn z + genitive when it means from, and z + instrumental when it means with.

Yes, Polish word order is flexible. The original sentence is very natural, but other versions are also possible.

Standard neutral order:

• Przed kartkówką powtarzam słownictwo z podręcznika.

Other possible orders:

• Powtarzam słownictwo z podręcznika przed kartkówką.
• Słownictwo z podręcznika powtarzam przed kartkówką.

These all mean roughly the same thing, but the emphasis changes.

• starting with Przed kartkówką highlights the time
• starting with Powtarzam is more neutral/action-focused
• starting with Słownictwo z podręcznika emphasizes what is being reviewed

For learners, the original version is a very good default.

Yes. Przed can mean:

• before (time)
• in front of (place)

You know which meaning it has from context.

Examples:

• Przed kartkówką powtarzam słownictwo. = Before the quiz, I review vocabulary.
  → time
• Stoję przed szkołą. = I am standing in front of the school.
  → place

In your sentence, kartkówka is an event in time, so przed clearly means before.

Yes, powtarzam is the natural choice here because it is imperfective.

• powtarzać = imperfective
• powtórzyć = perfective

Why imperfective? Because the sentence describes the activity itself: I review vocabulary before the quiz. It presents the action as a process or habit.

If you used the perfective form in present tense, it would usually refer to the future:

• Powtórzę słownictwo przed kartkówką. = I’ll review the vocabulary before the quiz.

So:

• powtarzam = I am reviewing / I review
• powtórzę = I will review

A rough pronunciation guide:

• słownictwo ≈ swov-NEETS-tvo
• kartkówką ≈ kart-KOOF-kong

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• ł sounds like English w
• w sounds like English v
• ó sounds like oo
• ą is a nasal vowel; before some consonants it may sound a bit like om/on
• ctw in słownictwo can feel tricky; say it slowly at first:
  • słow-nic-two
  • then blend it into normal Polish pronunciation

Also, stress in Polish is usually on the second-to-last syllable:

• słowNICTwo
• kartKÓWką

Yes, that is the natural interpretation. Z podręcznika means from the textbook, so it tells you the source of the vocabulary.

In other words:

• słownictwo z podręcznika = the vocabulary from the textbook

This phrase acts like one unit:

• powtarzam [słownictwo z podręcznika]

It is similar to:

• notatki z lekcji = notes from class
• ćwiczenia z książki = exercises from the book

Yes, absolutely. It sounds natural and correct, especially in a school or study context.

It is a very typical kind of Polish sentence because it uses:

• a time phrase at the beginning: Przed kartkówką
• a common study verb: powtarzam
• an abstract study noun: słownictwo
• a source phrase: z podręcznika

A Polish speaker might also say similar things like:

• Przed sprawdzianem powtarzam materiał.
• Przed testem uczę się słówek.
• Przed kartkówką przeglądam notatki.

So the sentence is not just grammatically correct; it is also idiomatic.