Breakdown of Kiedy winda ruszy znowu, ludzie uśmiechają się z ulgą.
kiedy
when
znowu
again
z
with
winda
the elevator
uśmiechać się
to smile
ruszyć
to move
człowiek
the person
ulga
the relief
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Questions & Answers about Kiedy winda ruszy znowu, ludzie uśmiechają się z ulgą.
Why is ruszy used instead of rusza?
Because ruszyć is the perfective verb “to start moving,” and in a time clause introduced by kiedy that points to a future moment, Polish normally uses the perfective future form. Ruszy (3rd person singular future of ruszyć) highlights the exact moment the elevator begins to move again. Rusza would be the imperfective present (“is moving”) and wouldn’t convey that sudden start.
Why is the main clause in present tense (uśmiechają się) while the subordinate clause uses the future (ruszy)?
Polish allows mixing future perfective in a kiedy-clause with a present in the main clause when describing what generally happens once a future event occurs. Here the sentence describes a recurring scenario: whenever the lift starts again, people (habitually) smile with relief. If you were talking about a single future event, you could say ludzie uśmiechną się, but that shifts the whole sentence into a one-off future perspective.
What’s the difference between kiedy and gdy in this sentence?
Both kiedy and gdy can mean “when.” In everyday Polish they’re largely interchangeable in time clauses. Gdy is sometimes slightly more formal or literary, while kiedy feels more neutral. You could say Gdy winda ruszy znowu, ludzie uśmiechają się z ulgą with virtually no change in meaning.
Why do we say z ulgą and not ze ulgą or some other case?
The preposition z meaning “with” requires the instrumental case in Polish. Ulga (relief) in the instrumental becomes ulgą. We never drop the preposition here, and z + instrumental is the standard way to express manner (“with relief”).
What’s the difference between znowu and znów?
They’re synonyms meaning “again.” Znowu is more common in spoken, colloquial style, while znów can appear in written or more elevated contexts. Both are fully interchangeable in this sentence.
Why does the verb appear as uśmiechają się with się?
Uśmiechać się is the reflexive form of “to smile.” The się particle makes the verb intransitive (they smile themselves). Without się, uśmiechać would be transitive (“to make someone smile”).
How is winda pronounced and where is the stress?
Winda is pronounced [ˈvʲinda], with stress on the first syllable: WIN-da. The “w” is like English “v,” the “i” is close to [i] in “machine,” and the “d” is soft because of the following “a.”
Could we move znowu to a different position in the clause?
Yes. Polish word order is quite flexible. You can say Kiedy znowu winda ruszy or Kiedy winda ruszy znowu without changing the core meaning. Shifting znowu early in the clause can add slight emphasis to “again.”
Can we use jak instead of kiedy here?
In spoken Polish, jak often replaces kiedy in time clauses: Jak winda ruszy znowu, ludzie uśmiechają się z ulgą. It’s more colloquial and common in everyday speech, but grammatically acceptable.
What gender is winda and how do we know?
Winda is feminine, as indicated by its -a ending and its declension pattern (singular winda, plural windy). Most Polish nouns ending in -a are feminine, so adjectives and past-tense verbs referring to winda would agree in feminine gender.