No. 503 in Polish
tymczasem
"Meanwhile" or "in the meantime."
In a sentence
Tymczasem przygotowałem obiad dla wszystkich.
Meanwhile, I prepared lunch for everyone.
The word 'tymczasem' is used here to indicate an action taking place at the same time as another event, emphasizing the simultaneity.
Dzieci poszły się bawić, tymczasem dorośli mogli porozmawiać na spokojnie.
The children went to play; meanwhile, the adults could talk calmly.
Here, 'tymczasem' serves to transition between describing one action and the ensuing opportunity that arises concurrently, highlighting contrast.
Oni byli zajęci wakacjami, tymczasem świat wokół zmieniał się nieustannie.
They were busy with their vacations; meanwhile, the world around was constantly changing.
In this context, 'tymczasem' draws attention to a parallel and contrasting development occurring during the same timeframe.
Hear it in real podcasts
The recording above is a synthetic voice. Hear how people say “tymczasem” in actual Polish podcasts.
Find “tymczasem” in podcastsLearn it from shows you like
LangTurbo plays Polish podcasts with a transcript and the English under every line. Tap a word like this one and it tells you what it means right there. For iPhone, iPad and Android.
Learning English?
LangTurbo plays real English podcasts with every line translated into polski, and tells you what any word means in that sentence. For iPhone, iPad and Android.
Polish books and courses on Amazon (an affiliate link: a purchase through it supports this site).