Learn Hardcore Polish: On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem. - He puts down the receiver when he finishes the conversation with the doctor.

Odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę… – perfectly correct and very natural
On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę… – also correct, but On adds a bit of emphasis or makes the subject extra clear (e.g. contrasting with someone else: On odkłada, a ona dalej mówi – He hangs up, and she keeps talking).

So the pronoun is optional; it’s used for emphasis, contrast, or clarity, but often dropped in neutral sentences.

What does odkłada literally mean, and is it the normal way to say “hang up (the phone)”?

Literally, odkładać means to put something aside / to put something down.

In the context of phones, odkładać słuchawkę is the standard idiomatic way to say to hang up (the receiver/phone), especially for a traditional phone with a handset.

Some related options you might hear:

odkłada słuchawkę – he puts the receiver down / hangs up
odkłada telefon – he puts the phone down (also used, more modern-sounding)
rozłącza się – he disconnects / hangs up (focus on ending the call, not the physical act)

So yes, odkłada słuchawkę is a normal, natural way to express “he hangs up”.

Why is it słuchawkę and not słuchawka?

Słuchawka is a feminine noun ending in -a. In this sentence it is a direct object of the verb odkłada (he puts down what? → the receiver), so it must be in the accusative case.

For feminine nouns in -a, the accusative singular ending is -ę:

słuchawka → słuchawkę
książka → książkę (book)
kawa → kawę (coffee)

So On odkłada słuchawkę literally means He puts down the receiver, with słuchawkę correctly in the accusative.

Could we say On odkłada telefon instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say On odkłada telefon. It’s correct and very natural, especially in modern contexts (mobile phones, etc.).

Nuance:

słuchawka – the handset / receiver (implies a traditional landline phone with a separate receiver)
telefon – the phone as a whole (landline, mobile, etc.)

Today, odkłada telefon often sounds more up‑to‑date, while odkłada słuchawkę can feel slightly old-fashioned or specifically “landline”.

Why is there a comma before kiedy?

In Polish, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem is a subordinate clause (a dependent clause of time).

Polish punctuation rules require a comma before conjunctions that introduce subordinate clauses, such as:

kiedy (when)
gdy (when/while)
jeśli / jeżeli (if)
ponieważ (because)

So the comma in
On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem.
is obligatory.

What’s the difference between kiedy, gdy, and jak here?

In time clauses like this, kiedy and gdy are usually interchangeable:

On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem.
On odkłada słuchawkę, gdy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem.

Both mean the same thing: He hangs up when he finishes the conversation with the doctor.

Nuances:

kiedy – very common, neutral, works in both questions and statements.
gdy – a bit more formal or literary in tone, often used in writing and narratives.
jak – can also mean when in many dialects and informal speech, but it’s more colloquial/regional and less neutral than kiedy/gdy in this use.

As a learner, using kiedy is always safe here.

Why are both verbs in the present tense (odkłada, kończy) if in English we might say “when he finishes / when he is finishing”?

In Polish, the present tense is used broadly and often corresponds to several English forms:

On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem.
→ He hangs up when he finishes the conversation with the doctor.
→ He hangs up when he is finishing the conversation with the doctor.
→ (if habitual) He hangs up whenever he finishes talking to the doctor.

So present tense odkłada / kończy can express:

a general habit or rule, or
a current situation in real time, depending on context.

There is no change in Polish verb form like English finishes vs is finishing; aspect and context carry that nuance instead.

Why is it rozmowę, not rozmowa?

Rozmowa (conversation) is also a feminine noun in -a. In this sentence it is the direct object of kończy (he finishes what? → the conversation), so it must be in the accusative case.

Feminine -a → accusative -ę:

rozmowa → rozmowę
On kończy rozmowę. – He finishes the conversation.

So rozmowę is just the accusative form required by the verb kończyć.

Why do we use z lekarzem, and what case is lekarzem?

The preposition z (with) usually takes the instrumental case when it means “with (someone)” in the sense of accompaniment or participation:

z kim? – with whom? → z lekarzem – with the doctor
z kolegą – with a (male) friend
z mamą – with (my) mother

Lekarz (doctor) is a masculine noun. In the instrumental singular, it becomes lekarzem:

lekarz → lekarzem

This is different from z + genitive, which means “from / out of”:

z lekarza would mean roughly “from the doctor” in some specific structures, not with the doctor.

So rozmowę z lekarzem = a conversation with the doctor, with lekarzem in the instrumental case.

Could we say kiedy skończy rozmowę instead of kiedy kończy rozmowę? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say kiedy skończy rozmowę, but it changes the aspect and, often, the time reference.

kończy – imperfective aspect (focus on the process / general situation)
skończy – perfective aspect (focus on the completed result, often future-looking)

Compare:

On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem.
– Describes what happens as he is (typically) finishing a conversation, often as a general rule or habitual behavior.
On odłoży słuchawkę, kiedy skończy rozmowę z lekarzem.
– More like a single, future event: He will hang up when he has finished the conversation with the doctor.

So in your original sentence (a neutral, general description), kończy is more natural. Skończy emphasizes a specific completed event, especially if the main verb is future.

Is the word order fixed? Could we say On, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem, odkłada słuchawkę?

Polish word order is relatively flexible. These versions are all grammatically correct:

On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem.
On, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem, odkłada słuchawkę.
Kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem, on odkłada słuchawkę.

The differences are mostly about rhythm and emphasis, not basic meaning. The original order is the most neutral and typical in everyday speech. Moving kiedy… to the beginning puts a bit more emphasis on the when-part.

Would the verb form change if the subject were Ona (she) instead of On (he)?

In the present tense, it would not change:

On odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem. – He…
Ona odkłada słuchawkę, kiedy kończy rozmowę z lekarzem. – She…

The 3rd person singular present form odkłada / kończy is the same for:

he (on)
she (ona)
it (ono)
polite Pan / Pani (you, formal)

The gender difference appears in the past tense, for example:

On odkładał słuchawkę… – He was putting the receiver down…
Ona odkładała słuchawkę… – She was putting the receiver down…

Why do we say kończy rozmowę and not just kończy z lekarzem?

The verb kończyć normally takes a direct object (what is being finished):

kończyć rozmowę – to finish a conversation
kończyć pracę – to finish work
kończyć obiad – to finish lunch

Kończyć z kimś exists, but it has a different meaning: more like “to break up with someone / to end one’s relationship with someone / to be done with someone”:

Ona kończy z nim. – She’s breaking up with him / She’s done with him.

So:

kończy rozmowę z lekarzem – he finishes the conversation with the doctor (normal, neutral)
kończy z lekarzem – would suggest something like he’s cutting off relations with the doctor, not just ending a phone call.

That’s why rozmowę is needed: it specifies what is being finished.