Polish exclamations and reactions - ale masakra, tragedia, dramat
Everyday exclamations - the mild, clean cousins of Polish swearing.
B1Reaction to anything overwhelming, bad or just intense. 'Ale masakra!'
Egzamin to była totalna masakra.
The exam was an absolute nightmare.
Often an over-reaction to something minor. 'Robić tragedię' = overdramatize.
Nie rób tragedii z drobiazgu.
Don't make a disaster out of a trifle.
dramat
total drama / awful
Same energy as 'tragedia', very common among younger speakers.
Spóźnił się pięć minut, a ona robi dramat.
He was five minutes late and she's making a drama.
żenada
cringe / embarrassing
For an embarrassing moment or person. Adjective: 'żenujące'.
Ale żenada, pomylił wszystkie imiona.
So cringe, he mixed up everyone's names.
When something is genuinely funny. 'Ale beka!'
Ale była beka na wczorajszej imprezie.
It was such a laugh at yesterday's party.
Pure excitement about news, plans or things.
Nowa płyta tego zespołu to sztos.
This band's new album is fire.
Something weak, disappointing or low quality.
Ten film to totalna lipa.
That movie is total rubbish.
When plans fall through. Literally also a flat tyre.
Plany się zmieniły, kicha.
Plans changed, what a bummer.
Slang for a fail or an embarrassing mishap. [Feminine Ex.] Zapomniałam
Zapomniałem kluczy w domu, porażka.
Left my keys at home, epic fail.
A soft, polite stand-in for stronger words. Totally family-friendly.
Kurczę, znowu pada.
Darn, it's raining again.
Mild minced oath - a socially safe substitute for a harder curse. [Feminine Ex.] zapomniałam
Kurde, zapomniałem parasola.
Dang, I forgot my umbrella.
no weź
come on / give me a break
Playful protest or disbelief. Tone carries the meaning.
No weź, przecież to nie moja wina.
Come on, it's not even my fault.
ale jazda
what a ride / wild
Reaction to something crazy or intense, good or bad. [Feminine Ex.] spodziewałam się
Ale jazda, nie spodziewałem się tego.
What a ride, I didn't see that coming.
serio?
seriously? / for real?
Ubiquitous reaction of surprise or doubt.
Serio? Nie wierzę własnym uszom.
Seriously? I can't believe my ears.
wiocha
cringe / how embarrassing
Something tacky or in poor taste. Literally 'a village'.
Zrobił mi straszną wiochę przy znajomych.
He totally embarrassed me in front of my friends.
ja cię kręcę
wow / holy smokes
A mild, friendly cry of surprise. Literally 'I'm spinning you'.
Ja cię kręcę, ale tu dzisiaj tłum!
Holy smokes, what a crowd today!
w mordę jeża
good grief / holy cow
A jokey exclamation. Literally 'in the hedgehog's snout'.
W mordę jeża, ale tu drogo!
Holy cow, it's expensive here!
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