Когда кто‑то говорит громко по телефону, я надеваю наушники и уменьшаю звук сериала.

When someone talks loudly on the phone, I put on headphones and lower the sound of the series.

Breakdown of Когда кто‑то говорит громко по телефону, я надеваю наушники и уменьшаю звук сериала.

• я: I
• говорить: to speak
• телефон: the phone
• и: and

Questions & Answers about Когда кто‑то говорит громко по телефону, я надеваю наушники и уменьшаю звук сериала.

Why is когда used here and not если? Both can mean “when,” right?

Both когда and если can be translated as “when,” but they are used a bit differently.

• Когда in this sentence introduces a time clause describing a situation that actually happens and is understood as a real, repeating condition:

  • Когда кто‑то говорит громко по телефону, я надеваю наушники…
  • “When someone speaks loudly on the phone, I put on headphones…”

  This is about a regular, real‑life pattern: whenever this situation occurs, I do X.

• Если would present it more as a condition (“if it happens at all”), not as a known, usual pattern:

  • Если кто‑то говорит громко по телефону… – “If someone speaks loudly on the phone…”

Here the speaker is describing a habitual reaction to a typical situation, so когда is more natural than если.

Why is it кто‑то and not just кто or кто‑нибудь?