Kiedy widzę błyskawicę za oknem, zamykam je od razu.

When I see lightning outside the window, I close it right away.

Breakdown of Kiedy widzę błyskawicę za oknem, zamykam je od razu.

• ja: I
• zamykać: to close
• okno: the window
• kiedy: when

Questions & Answers about Kiedy widzę błyskawicę za oknem, zamykam je od razu.

What does kiedy mean here? Is it when or whenever?

Here kiedy literally means when, but in this kind of sentence it often has the sense of whenever.

Because both verbs are in the present tense, the sentence sounds like a general, repeated situation:

Kiedy widzę błyskawicę za oknem, zamykam je od razu.
= Whenever I see lightning outside the window, I close it immediately.

So in practice, when and whenever are both good ways to understand it.

Why are widzę and zamykam in the present tense?

They are in the present tense because Polish often uses the present for habitual actions or general truths.

So this sentence is not mainly about one specific moment. It describes what the speaker usually does:

• widzę = I see
• zamykam = I close

In English, we might say:

• When I see lightning outside the window, I close it immediately
• or more naturally, Whenever I see lightning outside the window, I close it immediately

What person and form are widzę and zamykam?