Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| odchodzić | /ɔtˈxɔ.d͡ʑit͡ɕ/ | imperfective |
| odejść | /ˈɔ.dɛjɕt͡ɕ/ | perfective |
The verb forms describe the physical act of departing or leaving a place. While the verbs themselves describe the motion, if you want to command someone to actually go away or get out of here, you would use the interjection idź stąd! For much more aggressive and vulgar slang, you might hear spieprzaj, which translates to 'get lost' or 'beat it'.
Which one should you use?
The choice between the two main verb forms depends on whether you are describing a process or a completed event. The imperfective form odchodzić is used to describe the ongoing process of leaving or a habitual action of departing. The perfective form odejść is used to describe a single, completed act of leaving or a departure that has already happened.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperfective verb odchodzić has the third-person singular present tense form odchodzi. The perfective verb odejść uses the third-person singular past tense forms odszedł for masculine subjects or odeszła for feminine subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
The word odchodzić is pronounced /ɔtˈxɔ.dʑitɕ/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- While odchodzić describes leaving a place, it is also the standard euphemism for dying, similar to the English phrase 'passing away'.
- The aggressive command spieprzaj is derived from the word pieprz, which means 'pepper'.
- The verb chodzić in the word odchodzić means 'to walk'. Therefore, when you use the verb to say someone is 'going away', you are literally saying they are 'walking away from'.
Examples in context
- Muszę już odchodzić.I must be going now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “go away” translations and entries odchodzić, odejść, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
