Breakdown of Когда я открываю альбом, мне сразу хочется сделать ещё один быстрый рисунок карандашом.
я
I
мне
me
когда
when
карандаш
the pencil
Questions & Answers about Когда я открываю альбом, мне сразу хочется сделать ещё один быстрый рисунок карандашом.
Why is открываю in the present tense? Doesn’t English often say when I open with a more general meaning?
Yes — and Russian does the same here.
Когда я открываю альбом means when I open the album / whenever I open the album.
The present tense in Russian can describe:
- a repeated action
- a habitual situation
- something that generally happens
So this sentence is not about one single moment only. It suggests a recurring pattern: every time the speaker opens the album, the same feeling appears.
Also, открываю is imperfective, which fits this repeated/general meaning very naturally.
Why is it открываю, not открою?
Because открываю is the imperfective present form, while открою is perfective and usually refers to a single completed future act.
Compare:
- Когда я открываю альбом... = When/Whenever I open the album...
(habitual, repeated) - Когда я открою альбом... = When I open the album...
(one future occasion)
In your sentence, the speaker means a repeated reaction, so открываю is the natural choice.
Why is there a comma after альбом?