Breakdown of Kiedy wracam do domu, od razu robię herbatę.
ja
I
dom
the house
herbata
the tea
do
to
wracać
to return
kiedy
when
robić
to make
od razu
immediately
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Questions & Answers about Kiedy wracam do domu, od razu robię herbatę.
What role does kiedy play in this sentence?
kiedy is a subordinating conjunction meaning when. It introduces the time clause Kiedy wracam do domu (“when I get back home”) and links it to the main action in the second clause.
Why is there a comma after domu?
In Polish, a comma separates a subordinate clause from the main clause when the subordinate clause comes first. Here Kiedy wracam do domu is the introductory time clause, so we place a comma before the main clause od razu robię herbatę.
Why are the verbs wracam and robię in the present tense (imperfective aspect)? Could we use perfective forms like wrócę or zrobię?
This sentence describes a habitual or repeated action (“whenever I get home, I make tea”). For routines, Polish uses the imperfective aspect in the present tense.
- wracam (imperfective present) = I (regularly) come back
- wrócę (perfective future) would mean “I will come back” once, not habitually
- robię (imperfective present) = I (regularly) make
- zrobię (perfective future) would imply “I will make [and finish making]” once
Why is it do domu and not w domu?
The preposition do + genitive (domu) expresses motion toward a place (“to home”). In contrast, w domu would mean “at home,” indicating location rather than movement.
Why is herbatę in the accusative case?
The verb robić (“to make”) takes a direct object in the accusative case: robić coś (“to make something”). Therefore herbata becomes herbatę (accusative singular).
Is the position of od razu fixed, or could it come at the end?
Polish word order is quite flexible. You could also say Kiedy wracam do domu, robię herbatę od razu. Placing od razu directly before robię emphasizes the immediacy of the action, but both orders are grammatically correct.
Can gdy be used instead of kiedy here?
Yes. gdy also means “when” and is interchangeable with kiedy in this context. Some learners find gdy slightly more formal or literary, but in everyday speech both work.
What’s the difference between od razu and zaraz?
Both adverbs convey “right away” or “immediately.”
- od razu emphasizes doing something without any delay.
- zaraz can also mean “in a moment” or “soon,” depending on context.
In everyday situations they’re often interchangeable when you want to express “I’ll do it immediately.”