W domu wybieram okulary do czytania zamiast soczewek kontaktowych.

It most often means at home in a general, idiomatic sense.

• w = in
• domu = locative form of dom (house/home)

So literally it looks like in the home/house, but in everyday Polish w domu is very commonly used where English would say at home.

Examples:

• Jestem w domu. = I’m at home.
• Pracuję w domu. = I work at home / from home.

In your sentence, W domu sets the location/context: At home...

Because the preposition w usually requires the locative case when it means in.

So:

• basic form: dom
• locative after w: w domu

This is a very common pattern:

• w sklepie = in the shop
• w pracy = at work
• w szkole = at school
• w domu = at home

So w domu is not random vocabulary—it is the result of the case required by w.

It can mean either, depending on context.

wybieram is the 1st person singular present tense of wybierać:

• (ja) wybieram = I choose / I am choosing

In Polish, the present tense often covers both:

• a general/habitual meaning: I choose
• an action happening now: I am choosing

In this sentence, it most naturally sounds like a habitual preference: At home, I choose reading glasses instead of contact lenses.

So the idea is something like: when I’m at home, I go for reading glasses rather than contact lenses.

wybierać is the imperfective verb, and wybieram is used because the sentence describes a general or repeated preference, not a single completed choice.

• wybierać = imperfective = choosing, choosing regularly, making a choice in general
• wybrać = perfective = to choose once, as a completed action

Compare:

• W domu wybieram okulary... = At home I choose / tend to choose glasses...
• Dziś wybrałem okulary... = Today I chose glasses...

So imperfective fits well because this sounds like a routine or usual behavior.

Yes, okulary is normally a plural-only noun in Polish, just like glasses in English.

So:

• okulary = glasses
• you do not normally use a singular form to mean one pair of glasses

Polish treats many objects that come in pairs this way. So even though it is one pair of glasses, the noun itself is grammatically plural.

That is why the sentence says:

• wybieram okulary not
• wybieram okular

Literally, it means glasses for reading.

Breakdown:

• okulary = glasses
• do = for, for the purpose of
• czytania = reading

So okulary do czytania is the normal Polish way to say reading glasses.

Polish often uses this pattern: noun + do + verbal noun/genitive to express purpose.

Examples:

• buty do biegania = running shoes
• kubek do kawy = coffee mug
• maszyna do pisania = typewriter
  (literally machine for writing)

So okulary do czytania is a standard, natural structure.

Because after do in this kind of expression, Polish uses a noun form rather than the infinitive.

• czytać = to read (infinitive)
• czytanie = reading (verbal noun)
• after do, it becomes czytania because do requires the genitive

So:

• do czytania = for reading

This is why Polish says:

• okulary do czytania not
• okulary do czytać

English often uses either reading glasses or glasses for reading, but Polish uses the noun-like form here.

Because zamiast requires the genitive case.

Base form:

• soczewki kontaktowe = contact lenses

After zamiast (instead of), it changes to genitive plural:

• soczewek kontaktowych

So:

• zamiast + genitive
• zamiast soczewek kontaktowych = instead of contact lenses

This affects both:

1. the noun
   
   • soczewki → soczewek
2. the adjective
   
   • kontaktowe → kontaktowych

This is normal adjective agreement: the adjective changes to match the noun’s case, number, and gender.

Because the basic noun is plural and zamiast requires genitive.

Base phrase:

• soczewki kontaktowe = nominative plural = contact lenses

After zamiast, you need genitive plural:

• soczewek kontaktowych

A quick case breakdown:

• nominative plural: soczewki kontaktowe
• genitive plural: soczewek kontaktowych

So the form is not arbitrary—it is exactly what Polish grammar requires after zamiast.

Yes, often you could, if the meaning is already clear from context.

• soczewki kontaktowe = contact lenses
• soczewki by itself can mean lenses, and in everyday context it often gets understood as contact lenses

So:

• zamiast soczewek kontaktowych is more explicit
• zamiast soczewek can be more natural if everyone already knows what kind of lenses you mean

Still, the full version is perfectly good and very clear, especially for learners.

Yes. Polish word order is fairly flexible, and this sentence could be rearranged depending on emphasis.

Original:

• W domu wybieram okulary do czytania zamiast soczewek kontaktowych.

Possible variations:

• W domu wybieram zamiast soczewek kontaktowych okulary do czytania.
• Okulary do czytania wybieram w domu zamiast soczewek kontaktowych.

The original order is natural because it goes:

1. location/context — W domu
2. verb — wybieram
3. thing chosen — okulary do czytania
4. alternative rejected — zamiast soczewek kontaktowych

So the sentence starts by framing the situation: At home...

It depends on what you want to say.

• wybieram = I choose / I opt for
• zakładam = I put on / I wear

So:

• W domu wybieram okulary do czytania zamiast soczewek kontaktowych.
  = At home, I choose reading glasses instead of contact lenses.

• W domu zakładam okulary do czytania zamiast soczewek kontaktowych.
  = At home, I put on / wear reading glasses instead of contact lenses.

If the focus is on preference, wybieram is good.
If the focus is on the physical action of putting them on, zakładam may sound more direct.

Very often, yes. In Polish, do + verbal noun is a very common way to express for doing something.

Examples:

• okulary do czytania = reading glasses
• sala do tańca = room for dancing
• nóż do chleba = bread knife
• papier do drukarki = paper for a printer

So in this sentence, do czytania is completely standard and natural.

Yes, very strongly.

Because of:

• wybieram in the present tense
• the general setting W domu

the sentence sounds like a regular preference or routine: When I’m at home, I choose reading glasses instead of contact lenses.

If you wanted a one-time action, Polish would usually signal that more clearly, for example with time words or a perfective form:

• Dzisiaj w domu wybrałem okulary do czytania... = Today at home I chose reading glasses...

So the original sentence most naturally describes a repeated choice.