"Když jsem otevřel oči, můj pokoj byl prázdný."
Translation:When I opened my eyes, my room was empty.
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I wrote "When I opened the eyes, my bedroom was empty" as it was bot mentioned any possessive term for the word "eyes". Is it really incorrect?
If you can use a possessive pronoun in English, do it. English always prefers possessives over articles. One would never say "the eyes" about your own eyes. At the same time, Czech is only using possessives when completely necessary.
What case is "pokoj"? Shouldn't this be in nominative in this sentence?
So, quick question. From other exercises in this grouping, it seems this could also be written "Kdyz jsem otevrel oci, muj pokoj je prazdny." and retain the same meaning. Correct?
No... the room WAS empty at the time when I opened my eyes.
I wonder what gave you the impression that you could use the present tense. Czech only has 3 tenses and it's rarely possible to change them without changing the meaning.
Sentences like "Katerina vzdy vedela, co CHCE." and "Stezoval si, ze JE polevka studena." Both of which are translated in the past tense.
Those are sentences where all other European languages use the present tense, but English backshifts the tense due to something called "reported speech", it's a peculiarity of English. A typical example is as follows:
- František řekl: "Jsem unavený". -- František said: "I am tired."
- František řekl, že je unavený. -- František said he was tired.
This is different from sentences that are in the past, no matter whether the past is defined by a set expression or by a temporal clause, it's still the same past situation requiring a past tense:
- My room was empty two hours ago. -- Můj pokoj byl prázdný před dvěma hodinami.
- My room was empty when I came home. -- Můj pokoj byl prázdný, když jsem přišel domů.
Cool. BTW, thanks for you long note last week. Yes, I misread "pops up" as "pops" and yes, you're absolutely correct that "pops up" means "occurs" or "happens (as in makes an appearance)." A person can also "pop in" for a visit. It usually has the context of "unexpectedly".