dopiero

Dopiero is a common Polish adverb used to mark that something happened very recently or that something should be understood as starting from now and not earlier. It functions as a temporal marker and as a degree modifier, often with a sense of contrast or postponement relative to expectations.

As a temporal marker, dopiero indicates recency or delayed onset. In phrases like dopiero co to express just happened: "Dopiero co wróciłem ze szkoły" (I have just returned from school). In phrases like dopiero teraz, it means “not until now” or “only now”: "Zaczyna się dopiero teraz" (It’s starting only now). In phrases such as to dopiero początek, it emphasizes that something is at the beginning stage: "To dopiero początek" (That’s only the beginning).

Dopiero can also function with the fixed expression dopiero co, which reinforces the immediacy of the action, and it can appear before or after the verb depending on emphasis. It is often used in spoken Polish and stylistically flexible, ranging from informal to neutral in writing.

Etymology is that dopiero is a native Polish adverb; its precise historical development is not tied to a single simple root but to the broader evolution of temporal markers in Polish.

In translation, dopiero is typically rendered as “only just,” “not until now,” “just,” or “that’s only the beginning,” depending on context. It is distinct from yet or jeszcze, which carry different timing or emphasis in Polish.