# až / když



## JJJenifer

Dobrý den.

Mám otazku o slova _až_ a _když_.

I am sorry my Czech languag is still too poor, so I think I'd better ask in English.
There is a question as ........ budeme pilně trénova, možná ten závod vyhrajeme and 
the learners have to choose the answer from _až _and _když_.
And the answer, as you know, is _když.
_
I just wonder if I take away _možná, _will it possible to put _až _in the blank?
Will it be correct to say Až budeme pilně trénova, ten závod vyhrajeme ?

Thank you in advance.
Jennifer


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## Mori.cze

Hi,

As is, the sentence does not quite work with "až". Až is temporal, so "až budeme trénovat" defines some future time frame. The race, however, is a given race with its own given time. Removing "možná" does not fix the problem.

You could, however, say "až budeme (v budoucnosti) pilně trénovat, možná budeme vyhrávat závody." (We will generally win some races). That is correct and even idiomatic, supposing that there is a clear plan to start these harder trainings as soon as (fill in anything plausible)


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## JJJenifer

Thank you, Mori.cze.

I agree with you that  "až budeme trénovat" defines some future time frame, but the race is held in the future, too, because they said "vyhrajeme", which is going to happen in the future, if I understood it well.
For example, the match day is November 6th, and today when they want to say the sentence is March 1st.

I have a sentence from the same textbook as below:

_Až budu mít peníze, koupím/budu si kupovat nové boty._

Maybe this sentence can show you where I've got stuck...


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## Mori.cze

I see. I do not know if I can explain this clearly, but I would say that the "až"- part time frame is the main one and the other one is dependent or in a sense subordinate. 

The timing of you buying the new shoes depends entirely on you and you having the money.

With "ten závod" there is a specific race, and it makes no sense to expect that the timing of this race depends on our training habits. On the other hand, "Uspořádáme ten závod, až budeme víc trénovat" (we will organize tge race when we are better trained) would make perfect sense. 

Actually, when we stretch the context a bit and imagine "ten závod" referring not to one specific race, but e.g. to a yearly event, it would be possible to use "až" in some context like maybe "We were fifth in the Golden League this year. That is good, we will be able to get better funding and so to train more. And when we are training more, we might even win this Golden League event some year in the future"


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## jazyk

In the future tense, _až _is closer to _when _(When I have some money, I will buy shoes) and _když _is closer to _if_ (if I have some money, I will buy shoes). In the first sentence, money is expected, you may even know when you will get it. In the second one, it is a hypothesis, you may or may not get it. Czechs, though, don't make a very clear distinction at all times, unlike English _if_ and _when_. 

But for past actions, only _když _is possible: Navštěvoval jsem švýcarského kamaráda, když jsem bydlel v Curychu (I visited/used to visit my Swiss friend when I lived in Zurich).


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## Mori.cze

I'd be careful with this real/hypothetical event distinction... consider
"_až vyhraju v loterii, koupím si Aston Martin_" or even "_až vykradu banku, koupím si Aston Martin_"... it basically says "_in a parallel universe where I am insanely rich I am totally buying this car_". With "_když_", however, you are clearly buying lottery tickets and you expect that you have a real chance to win/you are seriously considering committing the crime.


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## jazyk

I agree, that is why I wrote: Czechs, though, don't make a very clear distinction at all times.


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