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Questions & Answers about Bardzo dobrze pływam.
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
In Polish, you usually don't need to say ja (I) because the verb ending already tells us who is doing the action. The dictionary form of the verb is pływać (to swim). Because it takes the -m ending here (pływam), it specifically means "I swim". If it were "you swim", it would take the -sz ending: pływasz.
Could I use the verb umieć (to know how to) to say this?
Yes! You could absolutely say Umiem bardzo dobrze pływać (I know how to swim very well). Because swimming is a learned skill, using umieć with the dictionary form pływać is very natural. Bardzo dobrze pływam is just a slightly more direct way to state the fact.
Why does the sentence use dobrze instead of dobry?
Dobrze means "well", while dobry means "good". Just like in English, you use "well" (dobrze) to describe how you do an action—in this case, how you swim. You use "good" (dobry) to describe a thing or a person, like a good swimmer (dobry pływak).
Is the word order strict? Could I say "Pływam bardzo dobrze"?
You can definitely say Pływam bardzo dobrze. Polish word order is quite flexible. Putting pływam at the end of the sentence is just a common stylistic choice, but both versions are perfectly correct and mean the same thing.