Ways to say it
| Polish | Note |
|---|---|
| uśmiechać się | imperfective |
| uśmiechnąć się | perfective |
This verb describes the act of having a smile on one's face. You can use the phrase uśmiechać się szeroko to say 'to smile widely'. The related noun uśmiech refers to the happy facial expression itself.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on whether you are describing a continuous state or a specific moment. Use the imperfective uśmiechać się when describing someone who is currently smiling or a habitual action. Use the perfective uśmiechnąć się when describing the specific moment or a single, completed act of smiling.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperfective form uśmiechać się is used for the ongoing state of being in a smile or for habitual actions. The perfective form uśmiechnąć się is used to denote a single, completed act of smiling.
When do people say it?
If you want to ask someone to smile, such as for a photo, you can say Proszę się uśmiechnąć ('Please smile!').
Did you know?
- In Polish culture, a smile is traditionally viewed as a sign of genuine friendliness rather than a social requirement. Smiling at strangers in a public place can sometimes be perceived as suspicious or insincere.
- There is a Polish idiom uśmiechać się do kogoś, which can mean not just to smile at someone, but to be flirtatious or show romantic interest.
- The verb uśmiechać się is built from the noun śmiech, which means 'laughter'.
Examples in context
- Czy masz uśmiech na twarzy?Do you have a smile on your face?
- Masz piękny uśmiech!You have a beautiful smile!
- On uśmiecha się do mnie.He is smiling at me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smile” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries się, uśmiechać, uśmiechnąć, CC BY-SA 4.0.
