Breakdown of Gdy pada deszcz, zawsze zostaję w domu.
dom
house
zawsze
always
w
in / on (a day)
deszcz
rain
padać
to rain / to fall (of snow, hail)
gdy
when (conjunction, = kiedy, more written)
zostawać
to stay (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Gdy pada deszcz, zawsze zostaję w domu.
Why do we use zostaję here instead of zostanę?
Zostaję comes from the imperfective verb zostawać, while zostanę comes from the perfective zostać. Because the sentence uses zawsze (always) to describe a repeated habit, you must use the imperfective form. Notice how the perfective base zostać changes into the imperfective zostawać by adding the -aw- suffix, which is exactly what you are learning in this lesson!
Why does the sentence say pada deszcz instead of just pada?
While you can absolutely just say pada to mean 'it is raining', adding the noun deszcz (rain) is very common in Polish. It literally translates to 'rain falls'. This is the standard way to talk about weather conditions, just like you would say pada śnieg for 'it is snowing'.
Could I use kiedy instead of gdy at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, gdy and kiedy both mean 'when' and are completely interchangeable in this context. Gdy is just a slightly shorter, very common alternative used to connect two parts of a sentence like this.
Why is it w domu? Shouldn't a masculine noun like dom end in -e in the Locative case?
You are right that most masculine inanimate nouns take an -e ending in the Locative case after w (in) or na (on). However, dom is a very important exception. It always takes the -u ending, making it w domu (at home or in the house).
Learn Gdy pada deszcz, zawsze zostaję w domu 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