Když bochník vykyne, střídka bude dobrá.

to be

Breakdown of Když bochník vykyne, střídka bude dobrá.

• dobrý: good
• když: when
• střídka: the crumb (inside a loaf)

Questions & Answers about Když bochník vykyne, střídka bude dobrá.

Why is když used here? Does it mean when or if?

Here když means when in the sense of a condition or time relationship: When the loaf rises, the crumb will be good.

In Czech, když often covers both ideas that English separates into when and if, especially in everyday language. In this sentence, it introduces the condition under which the second part becomes true.

A learner should also know that Czech sometimes uses:

• když = when / if
• až = when, once, not until, often for a specific future point

So this sentence sounds like a general statement about bread-making. If you wanted to emphasize once it has risen, až could also appear in some contexts, but když is very normal here.

Why is there a comma after vykyne?

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Když bochník vykyne = subordinate clause
• střídka bude dobrá = main clause

Czech normally separates this kind of clause with a comma, just as English often does:

• When the loaf rises, the crumb will be good.

So the comma is standard punctuation.

What exactly does bochník mean?