Learn Hardcore Polish: Kiedy kelner przynosi jedzenie, zdejmuję słuchawki, żeby go usłyszeć. - When the waiter brings the food, I take off my headphones so that I can hear him.

Kiedy means when and introduces a temporal (time) clause. It tells you when something happens. You can often swap it with Gdy (also “when”):

Gdy kelner przynosi jedzenie, …
Both are correct, though kiedy sounds a bit more neutral and conversational.

Why is przynosi in the present tense instead of the future?

In Polish, the present tense can refer to future events inside time clauses introduced by kiedy/gdy. So Kiedy kelner przynosi jedzenie… literally uses present but means “When the waiter brings the food (later on)…” Using future (przyniesie) would be grammatically possible but less natural in a “when” clause.

Why is kelner in the nominative case here?

In the clause Kiedy kelner przynosi jedzenie, kelner is the subject (the one doing the action “brings”), so it takes the nominative case. Polish subjects are normally nominative.

Which case is jedzenie, and how can I tell?

Jedzenie is in the accusative singular, serving as the direct object of przynosi (“he brings the food”). For neuter nouns like jedzenie, the nominative and accusative forms are identical, so you recognize it by its role (object of the verb).

Which case is słuchawki, and why is it plural?

Słuchawki is the accusative plural of słuchawka (a headphone). You need accusative because it’s the direct object of zdejmuję (“I take off the headphones”). Since headphones naturally come in pairs, we use the plural form.

What does żeby mean here, and can I replace it with aby?

Żeby means in order to or so that and introduces a purpose clause. In formal or literary style you could use aby:

…zdejmuję słuchawki, aby go usłyszeć.
However, żeby is more common in everyday speech.

Why is the pronoun go used before usłyszeć, and what does it refer to?

Go is the short accusative form of on (“him”) and refers back to kelner. In Polish, clitic pronouns typically precede infinitives in purpose clauses: żeby go usłyszeć. Placing it after (usłyszeć go) is grammatically okay but sounds less fluid in this construction.

Why is usłyszeć a perfective verb here? Could I use an imperfective instead?

Purpose clauses often use the perfective infinitive to emphasize completing the action (actually hearing what he says). Usłyszeć = “to hear (to completion).” Using the imperfective słyszeć (to be hearing, to hear generally) would sound odd if you mean “catch what he says this one time.”

Why are there commas before zdejmuję and żeby?

A comma separates a subordinate clause ending with jedzenie from the main clause:
- Kiedy kelner przynosi jedzenie, zdejmuję…
Another comma precedes the purpose clause introduced by żeby:
- zdejmuję słuchawki, żeby…
  In Polish, each subordinating conjunction (kiedy, że, żeby, etc.) is normally preceded by a comma.

Is there any difference between zdejmuję słuchawki and ściągam słuchawki?

Both verbs mean “to take off.”

Zdejmować/zdejmuję is the general verb for removing things you wear.
Ściągać/ściągam can imply pulling off or down with a bit more force.
With headphones they’re virtually interchangeable, though zdejmuję słuchawki is slightly more neutral and common.