Breakdown of Możesz przyjść byle kiedy, będę czekać, aż skończysz.
być
to be
móc
to be able to
czekać
to wait
skończyć
to finish
Questions & Answers about Możesz przyjść byle kiedy, będę czekać, aż skończysz.
What exactly does byle kiedy mean here, and how is it different from kiedykolwiek?
byle kiedy uses the prefix byle to show indifference, meaning "at absolutely any time, it doesn't matter to me." While kiedykolwiek also means "whenever," byle kiedy is slightly more colloquial and strongly emphasizes that the speaker genuinely does not care when the action happens.
Why do we use the imperfective verb in będę czekać, but the perfective verb in skończysz right after it?
This perfectly contrasts an ongoing state with a completed action. The phrase będę czekać (I will be waiting) is a continuous process that will stretch over time. On the other hand, skończysz (you finish) is perfective because it marks the exact, completed moment that brings the waiting to an end.
Could I use dopóki instead of aż to say "until" in this sentence?
Yes, but the grammatical structure would have to change. The word aż focuses purely on the endpoint and is followed directly by the affirmative verb, as in aż skończysz. If you want to use dopóki, Polish requires a negative construction to mean "until": dopóki nie skończysz (which translates literally to "as long as you do not finish").
Why is there a comma before aż?