Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| atak | /ˈa.tak/ | masculine |
| napad | /ˈna.pat/ | masculine |
Atak is a general term for an attempt to cause damage, injury or death.
Which one should you use?
While atak is a general term, napad specifically refers to a sudden, violent attack or robbery, often by criminals. For formal or military contexts, the term natarcie is used instead.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun atak changes to ataku in the genitive case, which is used after many Polish prepositions and to indicate possession or certain types of attacks. To express the action of attacking, you can use the imperfective verb atakować to describe the ongoing process of attacking or a repeated action or the perfective verb zaatakować to describe a single, completed act of attacking.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈa.tak/.
Did you know?
- In a medical context, a heart attack is called zawał, which literally means 'collapse' or 'cave-in'.
- The Polish word napad is a cognate of the Czech word nápad, which actually means 'idea' rather than an attack.
- The word atak is actually a loanword from the French word attaque, rather than being an indigenous Slavic term.
Examples in context
- Najlepszą obroną jest atak.Attack is the best form of defense.This sentence demonstrates the use of atak in a common proverb.Tatoeba #360488 by zipangu, translation #240888 by CK
- Bestia zaczęła go atakować.The beast began to attack him.This sentence shows how to use the verb form related to atak to describe an action.Tatoeba #12054989 by jimbojim, translation #11796442 by Nuel
- Tom miał kolejny atak serca.Tom had another heart attack.This sentence illustrates how atak is used in a medical context.Tatoeba #9684614 by aurchykr, translation #6659282 by CK
- Przygotowujemy natarcie.We are preparing an attack.
- Armia przeprowadziła skuteczny atak.The army conducted a successful attack.
- Nie atakuj mnie!Don't attack me!
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Agnieszka and Tomasz are discussing a news report about a conflict.
- AgnieszkaSłyszałeś o wczorajszym ataku?Did you hear about yesterday's attack?
- TomaszTak, to było straszne wydarzenie.Yes, it was a terrible event.
- AgnieszkaTen atak spowodował duże zniszczenia.That attack caused great destruction.
- TomaszMam nadzieję, że wszyscy są bezpieczni.I hope everyone is safe.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “attack” translations and entries atak, napad, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atak, napad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
