Difference between "i" and "oraz".

Does anyone know the difference between "i" and "oraz"? I can't seem to find any information on this. Thanks

It's similar as with "że" and "iż". "I" is much more natural and is usually the first choice; "oraz" appears when there are too many "i"-s, to avoid repetition. Stylistic matter.

Basically, there is no difference, but oraz tends to be put to join longer expressions/sentences. Under the heading oraz, one of the dictionaries gives the following example: Wystąpili soliści zagraniczni oraz aktorzy scen polskich.

Of course, you could have put "i" in place of "oraz" there, and the sentence would still be perfect. In simple sentences like "Ola i Mariola poszły do przedszkola", one immediately uses "i" as "oraz" would sound a bit artificial or official (and yes, trying to be official pushes you towards using "oraz" more often than you would typically do).

Merged: Difference between "oraz" and "i"?

What the difference between "oraz" and "i" in Polish? When to use it?

People often translate oraz as as well as. It does help, as Strzyga says, avoid repetition. It is stylistic. Maybe a slight emphatic sense though that's at best nuanced. There are a few things like that in Polish, just as there are in English.

Now have a look at the difference between i and a. That's much more fun.

"Oraz" is stronger than "i" in terms of separating the listed elements. E.g. "Na imprezę przyszli Tomek i Kasia oraz Ala i Michał" - "To the party came Tom and Kate as well as Alice and Michael". I am not sure how it works in English but in Polish with "i" instead of "oraz" it would be difficult to see that Tom and Kate as well as Alice and Michael are two different groups. It's such a list of lists.

Apart from "oraz" you have also "jak również" or "jak i", but they are different in that they usually introduce some contrast. You can say: "W zoo są duże zwierzęta, np. słonie i żyrafy, jak i małe, np. ptaki i żółwie" - "In the zoo there are big animals, such as elephants and giraffes, as well as small ones, for example birds or turtles".

Note that "jak i" is something totally different from "jaki", which means just "what like".