Breakdown of Jak tylko włączą wyciąg, zaczniemy zjeżdżać.
zacząć
to start
włączyć
to turn on
jak tylko
as soon as
wyciąg
the ski lift
zjeżdżać
to ski down
Questions & Answers about Jak tylko włączą wyciąg, zaczniemy zjeżdżać.
Does jak tylko always require a perfective verb like włączą?
Not always, but it is extremely common when talking about a sequence of events in the future. We use the perfective włączą here because the action of turning on the lift must be completely finished before the next action (zaczniemy) can begin. If you used an imperfective verb, it would mean 'as soon as they are in the process of turning it on'.
Why is zjeżdżać imperfective when the rest of the sentence focuses on perfective future actions?
Because it directly follows the verb zaczniemy (we will start). In Polish, whenever you use a phase verb meaning 'to start' or 'to finish' (zacząć, skończyć), the following infinitive must always be imperfective. You can only start an ongoing process, never a completed one!
Who is the subject of włączą if there is no pronoun?
The subject is an implied 'they' (the ski resort staff). Using a 3rd person plural verb without a pronoun is the standard way to express the impersonal 'they' in Polish, just like saying 'they are fixing the road' in English.
Does zjeżdżać exclusively mean 'to ski down'?
No, the core verb is jeździć (to ride or drive), and the prefix z- adds the meaning of moving downward. Because the context here is a ski lift (wyciąg), it translates logically to 'ski down' or 'snowboard down'. If you were in a car, it would mean to 'drive down' a hill.
Learn Jak tylko włączą wyciąg, zaczniemy zjeżdżać and more in Polish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free