uważaj na siebie
The Polish phrase for "take care" is uważaj na siebie.
uważaj na siebie is used as an interjection when saying good-bye. This differs from the single word uważaj, which is a warning to "watch out" for immediate danger and the verb uważać, which means to be cautious or careful. Furthermore, if you want to say you are "in charge of something," you would use the verb zadbać.
Meaning: good-bye (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase uważaj na siebie literally means "watch out for yourself".
Which one should you use?
While uważaj na siebie is a warm parting phrase, the single word uważaj is a warning to "watch out" for immediate danger. For a slightly different nuance, Trzymaj się. can also translate to "Take care" in a neutral sense, and Dbaj o siebie. translates to "Take care of yourself".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "take care" to a group of people, use the plural form uważajcie na siebie. The phrase Dbaj o siebie. is also used to mean "Take care of yourself", commonly among friends or younger people.
Did you know?
- The phrase Trzymaj się is a common alternative that literally translates to 'hold yourself', which sounds much more physical in English than the intended sentiment of 'stay strong' or 'take care'.
- The word na in this phrase shares an ancient linguistic ancestor with the English preposition 'on', both tracing back to Proto-Indo-European roots.
- While uważaj na siebie is a warm parting, saying only uważaj to someone walking away might actually cause them to panic, as it sounds like a sudden warning to 'watch out' for a physical threat.
Examples in context
- Pa pa, uważaj na siebie!Bye bye, take care!
- Uważaj na siebie, do zobaczenia!Take care, see you later!
- Uważaj na siebie w podróży.Take care on your trip.
- Do widzenia, uważaj na siebie.Goodbye, take care.
Example conversation
Tomasz and Katarzyna are saying goodbye after a coffee date.
- TomaszTo była miła rozmowa, Katarzyno.It was a nice conversation, Katarzyna.
- KatarzynaTeż tak uważam. Muszę już iść.I think so too. I must go now.
- TomaszDobrze, uważaj na siebie.Alright, take care.
- KatarzynaDziękuję, ty też uważaj na siebie, Tomaszu.Thank you, you take care too, Tomasz.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries na, CC BY-SA 4.0.
