Breakdown of Kiedy dostawa przyjedzie, musimy wejść do garażu i otworzyć drzwi.
i
and
do
to
drzwi
the door
otworzyć
to open
kiedy
when
musieć
must
przyjechać
to arrive
dostawa
the delivery
wejść
to enter
garaż
the garage
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Questions & Answers about Kiedy dostawa przyjedzie, musimy wejść do garażu i otworzyć drzwi.
What role does kiedy play in this sentence and why is there a comma after it?
kiedy is a subordinating conjunction meaning when; it introduces the time clause Kiedy dostawa przyjedzie, which is separated from the main clause by a comma because in Polish subordinate clauses are set off from the main clause.
Why is dostawa in the nominative case?
Because dostawa is the subject of the verb przyjedzie, and subjects in Polish are in the nominative case.
Why is the verb przyjedzie (perfective) used instead of the imperfective przyjeżdża?
przyjedzie is the perfective future form of przyjechać (“to arrive by vehicle”) emphasizing that the delivery will fully arrive at a specific point. The imperfective przyjeżdża would be used for habitual or ongoing arrivals.
Why is musimy followed by two infinitives, wejść and otworzyć, and why are they in the perfective aspect?
- The modal verb musimy (“we must / have to”) is always paired with a full infinitive.
- Perfective infinitives (wejść, otworzyć) highlight that the actions (entering and opening) need to be completed once the delivery arrives. Imperfective forms (wchodzić, otwierać) would stress an ongoing or repeated action.
Why does wejść require do + the genitive case (garażu)?
Motion verbs indicating direction into a place (like wejść) take the preposition do, which requires the noun to be in the genitive case. Hence garaż → garażu.
How is the noun garaż declined, and why is its genitive form garażu?
garaż is a masculine inanimate noun. Its singular declension is:
- Nominative: garaż
- Genitive: garażu
- Dative: garażowi
- Accusative: garaż
- Instrumental: garażem
- Locative: garażu
We need the genitive after do, so we use garażu.
Why is there no comma before i when connecting wejść do garażu and otworzyć drzwi?
In Polish, you do not use a comma before i when it simply links two verbs (or other elements) that share the same subject in one clause.
Why is drzwi in plural form and which case is it here?
drzwi (“door”) is always plural in Polish. Here it is the direct object of otworzyć, so it is in the accusative plural, which is identical to the nominative plural (drzwi).
Could we use gdy instead of kiedy, or swap the word order in the subordinate clause?
Yes. gdy also means when and can introduce time clauses. Polish word order is flexible due to case marking, so you could say Gdy dostawa przyjedzie or Gdy przyjedzie dostawa—both are correct, though emphasis may shift slightly.
Can we use a different construction like Trzeba nam wejść do garażu instead of Musimy wejść do garażu?
Yes. trzeba + dative (nam) + infinitive is an impersonal construction expressing necessity. Trzeba (nam) wejść do garażu means “We need to enter the garage,” similar in meaning to musimy.