Breakdown of Lubię jechać rowerem, kiedy pogoda jest dobra i nie ma wiatru.
ja
I
być
to be
mieć
to have
lubić
to like
i
and
nie
not
kiedy
when
jechać
to ride
rower
the bicycle
pogoda
the weather
dobry
good
wiatr
the wind
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Questions & Answers about Lubię jechać rowerem, kiedy pogoda jest dobra i nie ma wiatru.
Why is jechać in the infinitive after lubię?
In Polish, verbs of preference like lubić, kochać or chcieć are followed by the infinitive to express what you like, love or want to do. You say lubię jechać (“I like to go/ride”), not lubię jadę.
What’s the difference between jechać and jeździć?
jechać describes a single, unidirectional movement or trip (e.g. “I’m going right now”). jeździć expresses habitual, repeated or multidirectional movement (e.g. “I ride regularly”). So you could also say lubię jeździć na rowerze to emphasize the regular habit of cycling.
Why is rowerem in the instrumental case, and can we use na rowerze?
When naming the means of transport without a preposition, Polish uses the instrumental case: jechać rowerem means “to go by bike.” You can also include the preposition na and then use the locative: jechać na rowerze or jeździć na rowerze—both forms are correct and common.
Why is there a comma before kiedy?
kiedy introduces a subordinate (time) clause here. Polish grammar requires a comma before most subordinate clauses, so you separate Lubię jechać rowerem from kiedy pogoda jest dobra… with a comma.
Can we replace kiedy with gdy here?
Yes. gdy is slightly more formal or literary, but in this context kiedy and gdy are interchangeable:
Lubię jechać rowerem, gdy pogoda jest dobra i nie ma wiatru.
Why does dobra end with –a?
pogoda is a feminine noun in the nominative case, and adjectives must agree in gender, number and case. So dobra is the feminine singular nominative form of the adjective “good.”
Why is wiatru in the genitive case after nie ma?
The existential construction nie ma (“there is no…”) requires the following noun to be in the genitive case. Hence wiatr becomes wiatru, giving nie ma wiatru (“there is no wind”).
How else could you say “when there’s no wind” in Polish?
A common alternative is kiedy nie wieje. Here wieje is the verb “it blows,” so nie wieje literally means “it’s not blowing” (i.e. “there’s no wind”).
Why are there no words for “the” or “a” in this sentence?
Polish has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context or expressed by other means (word order, pronouns, adjectives) if needed.