Dziś zajmuję się nowym projektem.

Zajmować się is the full verb expression here. It means to deal with, to work on, to be զբաղված with—better simply, to be occupied with or to be working on something.

The word się is not optional in this meaning. You usually learn it as part of the verb: zajmować się.

Without się, zajmować means something different, such as to occupy, to take up, or to seize in some contexts. So:

• Zajmuję się projektem = I am working on / dealing with a project
• Projekt zajmuje dużo czasu = The project takes up a lot of time

So in this sentence, treat zajmować się as one unit.

Zajmuję is:

• 1st person singular
• present tense
• from the verb zajmować się

So it means I deal with, I am dealing with, I work on, or I am working on, depending on context.

The full present-tense pattern is:

• ja zajmuję się = I work on / deal with
• ty zajmujesz się = you work on
• on/ona/ono zajmuje się = he/she/it works on
• my zajmujemy się = we work on
• wy zajmujecie się = you plural work on
• oni/one zajmują się = they work on

Because zajmować się requires the instrumental case.

The basic dictionary form is:

• projekt = project

But after zajmować się, the noun changes to instrumental:

• projektem = with a project / on a project

So:

• zajmować się projektem
• interesować się muzyką
• opiekować się dzieckiem

This is one of the most important things to remember with Polish verbs: many verbs require a specific case.

Because the adjective has to match the noun in case, number, and gender.

Here, projekt is:

• masculine singular
• in the instrumental case

So both words must be instrumental singular masculine:

• nowy → nowym
• projekt → projektem

That gives:

• nowym projektem

So the pattern is:

• nominative: nowy projekt
• instrumental: nowym projektem

Yes. Dziś means today, and dzisiaj also means today.

They are very close in meaning. In everyday speech:

• dziś can feel slightly shorter and a bit more concise
• dzisiaj can sound a bit more neutral or fuller

In most situations, both work:

• Dziś zajmuję się nowym projektem.
• Dzisiaj zajmuję się nowym projektem.

Both are natural.

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

Putting Dziś first emphasizes today or sets the time frame right away:

• Dziś zajmuję się nowym projektem. = Today, I’m working on a new project.

Other possible orders include:

• Zajmuję się dziś nowym projektem.
• Nowym projektem zajmuję się dziś.

These are all possible, but they do not sound exactly the same in emphasis.

A simple rule for learners:

• front position often gives emphasis or sets the topic
• the most neutral version here is very likely Dziś zajmuję się nowym projektem

It can mean either, depending on context.

Polish present tense often covers both:

• I am working on a new project today
• Today I’m occupied with a new project
• Today I’m dealing with a new project

Because the sentence includes Dziś, it strongly suggests a current, temporary situation for today.

Without more context, a native speaker would usually understand it as something happening now or during today, not as a permanent life fact.

Yes, and that is a very natural alternative.

• Zajmuję się nowym projektem = I’m dealing with / working on a new project
• Pracuję nad nowym projektem = I’m working on a new project

The difference is subtle:

• pracować nad focuses more directly on doing the work
• zajmować się can be a bit broader, meaning you are occupied with it, responsible for it, or dealing with it

Both are correct and common. In many contexts, they are very close.

No. In Polish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

• zajmuję się already tells us I
• so Ja zajmuję się nowym projektem is possible, but ja is usually added only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity

Compare:

• Zajmuję się nowym projektem. = neutral
• Ja zajmuję się nowym projektem, a on czymś innym. = I’m working on a new project, and he’s working on something else

Się is usually pronounced roughly like shyeng but with a very short nasal ending; the exact Polish sound has no perfect English equivalent.

In normal speech, się is often unstressed and can sound lighter than learners expect.

In this sentence, się comes after the verb:

• zajmuję się

That is the most normal placement here. In Polish, się can move around in some sentence patterns, but for learners it is best to first learn the standard placement used in common expressions.

So for now, remember the chunk:

• zajmuję się
• zajmujesz się
• zajmuje się

Polish does not have articles like a and the, so nowym projektem can correspond to either:

• a new project
• the new project

The context decides which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, English will often use a new project if the project is being introduced for the first time:

• Today I’m working on a new project.

But in another context, it could be:

• Today I’m working on the new project.

Polish leaves that distinction unstated unless something else in the sentence makes it clear.