wtedy

Wtedy is a Polish adverb of time meaning “at that time” or “then.” It refers to a time already mentioned in the discourse or to a moment in a sequence of events. The word is common in both spoken and written Polish and can anchor a sentence to a specific time point or introduce a clause, such as “wtedy gdy” (at the time when).

Etymology and form: Wtedy results from combining the preposition w (“in/at”) with the archaic demonstrative then/that,tedy. The component tedy derives from older Slavic roots meaning “that” or “that time.” The construction is parallel to related Slavic forms meaning “at that time” in other languages, such as Russian тогда (togda) and Czech tehdy.

Usage and variants: Wtedy is used to reference a past moment or a moment in a narrative sequence. It is often more common in everyday speech than the more formal or literary synonyms wówczas or w owym czasie. It can function as a sentence adverb or appear in phrases like “wtedy gdy…” to link events or conditions.

Examples: Wtedy zrozumiałem, co się stało. When I looked back, I understood what happened. Kiedy wrócą, wtedy porozmawiamy. When they return, we will talk then. If needed in hypotheticals: Jeśli przyjdą późno, wtedy nie zdążymy.

See also: wówczas, w owym czasie, w tym czasie.