podejrzany
/pɔ.dɛjˈʐa.nɘ/
The Polish word for the slang term 'sus' is podejrzany.
podejrzany is used to describe someone or something that seems suspicious or dishonest. It can function as an adjective to describe a quality or as a noun to refer to a suspect in a crime.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While the English term 'sus' is slang, podejrzany is the standard, neutral term for 'suspicious' and is appropriate for all contexts, including formal ones. For a more formal phrase, you can use Wzbudzający podejrzenia, which describes someone or something that arouses suspicion.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective podejrzany must agree in gender with the noun it describes: use podejrzana for feminine nouns and podejrzane for neuter or plural nouns. The form changes to podejrzanego when the word is used in the genitive case, such as after a negation.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɔ.dɛjˈʐa.nɘ/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- While podejrzany is the standard word for 'suspicious', Polish internet slang has adopted the English word 'sus' directly, often spelled as sus or susy among Gen Z speakers.
- If you want to say 'something is fishy' or 'something is not right', Poles often use the idiom coś tu nie gra, which literally means 'something is not playing here'.
- The root of podejrzany comes from the verb podejrzeć, which means 'to peek' or 'to spy on'.
Examples in context
- Ten mężczyzna jest podejrzanyThis man is suspicious.
- On jest podejrzanyHe is sus.
- Ten człowiek jest mało wiarygodnyThis person is not trustworthy.
- To zachowanie wydaje się wzbudzać podejrzeniaThis behavior seems suspicious.
- Ten gość jest bardzo podejrzany.This guy is very sus.
Example conversation
Anna and Tomasz are talking about a stranger in a cafe.
- AnnaTen człowiek jest bardzo podejrzany.That man is very sus.
- TomaszNaprawdę? Dlaczego tak myślisz, Anno?Really? Why do you think so, Anna?
- AnnaCiągle patrzy na wszystkich z boku.He keeps watching everyone from the side.
- TomaszMasz rację, to brzmi podejrzanie.You're right, that sounds sus.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry podejrzany, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries podejrzany, CC BY-SA 4.0.
