życie nie ma sensu
The phrase "life is meaningless" in Polish is translated as życie nie ma sensu.
This phrase is used to express the belief that existence has no inherent purpose or value.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of życie (life), nie ma (does not have) and sensu (sense/meaning).
Which one should you use?
Życie jest pozbawione sensu translates to "Life is devoid of meaning," and Życie nie posiada znaczenia translates to "Life lacks significance." For a more casual or nihilistic tone, the informal expression Życie to jedno wielkie nic can be used, which means "Life is one big nothing."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the third-person singular form of the verb mieć (to have) in its negative form.
Did you know?
- The word życie shares a common ancient ancestor with the English word 'quick', as both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root for 'living'.
- In Polish culture, responding to życie nie ma sensu with no matter what or optimistic platitudes can sometimes be seen as dismissive rather than helpful.
- In Polish, the word sens is used to describe the physical direction of a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation, such as the 'sense' of a screw.
Examples in context
- Ostatnio czuję się przytłoczony. Życie jest bez sensu.I'm feeling overwhelmed lately. Life is meaningless.
- Czuję, że życie nie ma sensu.I feel that life is meaningless.
- Czasami czuję, że życie nie ma sensu.Sometimes I feel that life is meaningless.
- Mówił, że dla niego życie nie ma sensu.He said that for him life is meaningless.
- Bez pasji życie nie ma sensu.Without passion, life is meaningless.
Example conversation
Two friends are having a deep conversation late at night.
- AgnieszkaKrzysztofie, czuję, że życie nie ma sensu.Krzysztof, I feel that life is meaningless.
- KrzysztofDlaczego tak mówisz, Agnieszko?Why are you saying that, Agnieszka?
- AgnieszkaPo prostu wszystko wydaje mi się puste.Everything just seems empty to me.
- KrzysztofMożemy razem poszukać odpowiedzi.We can look for the answers together.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nie, życie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
