Dzieci lubią zgadywać, co dostaną na urodziny, chociaż i tak zwykle wiedzą wcześniej.

Because dzieci means children, so it is grammatically plural.

• dziecko = child
• dzieci = children

The verb has to agree with that plural subject:

• dziecko lubi = the child likes
• dzieci lubią = the children like

So lubią is the 3rd person plural form of lubić.

In Polish, lubić often works like English to like when it is followed by another verb in the infinitive.

So:

• lubią zgadywać = they like guessing / they like to guess

This is very normal Polish structure:

• Lubię czytać. = I like reading / I like to read.
• Lubimy podróżować. = We like travelling / to travel.

This is an aspect question.

• zgadywać is imperfective
• zgadnąć is perfective

Here, zgadywać is used because the sentence talks about an activity in general: children enjoy the process of guessing. It is not about one single completed guess.

So:

• lubią zgadywać = they like guessing as an activity
• lubią zgadnąć would sound wrong here, because zgadnąć means something more like guess successfully / guess once and complete it

In other words, imperfective is the natural choice for habits, repeated actions, and general enjoyment of an activity.

co dostaną means what they will get.

Two useful points are happening here:

1. co introduces an indirect question:

   • zgadywać, co dostaną = to guess what they will get

2. dostaną is from the perfective verb dostać. In Polish, a perfective verb cannot normally describe a present action, so its present-tense-looking forms often have future meaning.

So:

• dostaną literally looks like a present form
• but because it is from a perfective verb, it means they will receive / they will get

Compare:

• dostają = they are getting / they get (imperfective, present or habitual)
• dostaną = they will get (perfective, future)

Because Polish often omits subject pronouns when the meaning is already clear from the verb ending or the context.

In this sentence, the subject is already established as dzieci, so Polish does not need to repeat they.

• Dzieci lubią zgadywać, co dostaną...
• literally: Children like to guess what [they] will get...

The same happens later:

• ...chociaż i tak zwykle wiedzą wcześniej
• literally: ...although [they] usually know earlier anyway

This is very normal in Polish. Repeating a pronoun unnecessarily can sound heavy or emphatic.

Here na urodziny means for their birthday or as a birthday present.

So:

• co dostaną na urodziny = what they will get for their birthday

The preposition na is commonly used with gifts, occasions, and intended purpose:

• prezent na urodziny = a birthday present
• kwiaty na imieniny = flowers for a name day

In this sentence, it does not mean simply on their birthday in a time sense. It means something is meant for that occasion.

Because in Polish, urodziny is a plural-only noun. This is just how the word works.

So even though English says birthday in the singular, Polish says urodziny in the plural form.

Examples:

• Mam urodziny w maju. = My birthday is in May.
• Co chcesz dostać na urodziny? = What do you want to get for your birthday?

This is something learners usually just have to memorize:

• urodziny = birthday
• but grammatically it behaves like a plural word

This combination adds a nice nuance.

• chociaż = although / even though
• i tak = anyway / all the same / in spite of that

So:

• chociaż i tak zwykle wiedzą wcześniej = although they usually know beforehand anyway

The phrase i tak strengthens the contrast. It suggests something like:

• they enjoy guessing,
• but in fact it often does not matter,
• because they usually already know.

So i tak gives the idea of regardless of that or anyway.

Here wcześniej means earlier or, more naturally in English, beforehand.

So:

• zwykle wiedzą wcześniej = they usually know beforehand

It refers to knowing the answer before the birthday arrives or before the presents are officially given.

You can often translate wcześniej in different ways depending on context:

• Przyszedł wcześniej. = He came earlier.
• Wiedział wcześniej. = He knew beforehand.

In this sentence, beforehand is the most natural translation.

The word order is natural, but Polish word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence:

• Dzieci lubią zgadywać, co dostaną na urodziny, chociaż i tak zwykle wiedzą wcześniej.

sounds neutral and natural. The placement of:

• zwykle = usually
• wcześniej = beforehand / earlier

gives a smooth, standard rhythm.

You could move some elements around, but the emphasis would change slightly. For example:

• ...chociaż zwykle i tak wiedzą wcześniej
• ...chociaż i tak wiedzą zwykle wcześniej

These are possible, but the original is the most natural everyday version.

A useful general rule: in Polish, word order often helps show focus and emphasis, not just basic grammar.