Ja jem obiad tylko wtedy, gdy jestem głodny.

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Breakdown of Ja jem obiad tylko wtedy, gdy jestem głodny.

• być: to be
• obiad: the dinner (main meal)
• jeść: to eat

Questions & Answers about Ja jem obiad tylko wtedy, gdy jestem głodny.

Why is ja included at the beginning? Can I drop it?

In Polish, subject pronouns like ja (“I”) are optional because the verb ending -em already tells you the subject is “I.” You can certainly say Jem obiad tylko wtedy, gdy jestem głodny without ja. Including ja adds emphasis or clarity.

Why is obiad in the accusative case?

The verb jeść (“to eat”) is transitive and takes a direct object in the accusative. Here obiad is what you eat, so it’s in the accusative. (In this case the accusative form of obiad is identical to the nominative.)

What does tylko wtedy, gdy mean, and can I replace it with tylko gdy or tylko jak?

tylko wtedy, gdy means “only at the times when” or simply “only when.”

• You can shorten it to tylko gdy (“only when”) without changing the basic meaning, though it’s a bit less emphatic.
• Colloquially some people say tylko jak, especially in spoken Polish, but that’s more informal and often you’ll hear to added: Tylko jak jestem głodny, to jem obiad.

Why is there a comma before gdy?