Chcę długo żyć.

Chcę is the 1st person singular form of the verb chcieć (to want).

So:

• chcę = I want
• chcesz = you want
• chce = he/she/it wants

The ending -ę is very common in Polish for I forms in the present tense.

In Polish, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb form already shows who the subject is.

• Chcę already means I want
• so ja (I) is not necessary

You can say Ja chcę długo żyć, but it usually adds emphasis, like I want to live long.

This is different from English, where you almost always need the subject pronoun.

Długo means for a long time / long and it is an adverb, not an adjective.

That matters because it describes the verb żyć (to live), not a noun.

Compare:

• długi = long (adjective, used with nouns)
• długo = long / for a long time (adverb, used with verbs)

So in this sentence, Polish uses the adverb because the idea is to live for a long time, not a long life as a noun phrase.

Żyć means to live. It is in the infinitive form.

After chcieć (to want), Polish commonly uses another verb in the infinitive:

• Chcę żyć = I want to live
• Chcę spać = I want to sleep
• Chcę jeść = I want to eat

Unlike English, Polish does not add a separate word like to between want and the next verb. The infinitive form itself already carries that meaning.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• chcę ≈ h-tseh or khts-en with a nasal ending
• długo ≈ DWOO-go
• żyć ≈ zhihch

A few key sounds:

• ch sounds like a throaty h
• ł sounds like English w
• ż sounds like the s in measure
• ć is a soft ch-like sound
• ę is a nasal vowel; at the end of a word, it is often pronounced less strongly than learners expect

A natural full pronunciation is something like:

H-tseh DWOO-go zhihch

This is only approximate, but it helps.

Polish spelling uses several letters and marks that change pronunciation.

In this sentence:

• ę in chcę is a nasal vowel
• ł in długo is pronounced like English w
• ż in żyć is pronounced like zh
• ć in żyć is a soft consonant, somewhat like a very soft ch

These are not optional decorations—they are part of the spelling and pronunciation of the words.

For example:

• l and ł are different sounds
• z and ż are different sounds
• c and ć are different sounds

Yes. Chcę długo żyć and Chcę żyć długo are both natural.

The difference is mostly about focus or rhythm, not basic meaning.

• Chcę długo żyć puts długo a bit closer to the idea from the start
• Chcę żyć długo may sound slightly more neutral in some contexts

Polish word order is more flexible than English, but not completely free. Both versions are correct.

Żyć is an imperfective verb.

In Polish, aspect is very important, but with żyć the imperfective form is the natural one because it describes an ongoing state: living.

In this sentence, that makes perfect sense because the speaker is talking about continuing existence over time.

A native English speaker may expect something like a separate to live without worrying about aspect, but in Polish the verb choice often reflects whether an action is ongoing, repeated, completed, or one-time. Here, żyć fits naturally because living is not presented as a completed event.

No case is involved here in the way it would be with nouns or pronouns.

This sentence contains:

• chcę — a conjugated verb
• długo — an adverb
• żyć — an infinitive verb

Cases in Polish mainly affect nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and numerals, not adverbs, and not infinitives like żyć.

So this sentence is grammatically quite simple: it is basically I want + adverb + infinitive.

Yes, it sounds natural and correct.

It is a simple, idiomatic Polish sentence. A native speaker would understand it immediately.

Depending on context, people might also say things like:

• Chcę żyć długo i zdrowo = I want to live long and healthily
• Chcę długo pożyć = roughly I want to live a long life / live for a long time

But Chcę długo żyć is absolutely normal Polish.

A very useful pattern is:

chcę + infinitive

Examples:

• Chcę żyć = I want to live
• Chcę pracować = I want to work
• Chcę odpocząć = I want to rest
• Chcę się uczyć = I want to study / learn

And from this sentence, also remember that Polish often uses an adverb where English may feel like it is using a more adjective-like idea:

• długo żyć = to live long / to live for a long time

So the whole structure is a very useful beginner pattern.