co jest nie tak?
/ˈt͡sɔ ˈjɛst ˈɲɛ ˈtak/word by word
The English phrase "what is wrong?" is translated into Polish as co jest nie tak?
co jest nie tak? is a question used to identify a problem or a mistake. You can use it to ask about abstract problems, such as a logical error or physical malfunctions, such as a machine that is not working correctly.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal construction where co means "what", jest means "is", nie means "not" and tak means "so" or "this way".
Which one should you use?
While co jest nie tak? asks about a current state of something being incorrect or broken, co się stało? is used to ask what specific event occurred to cause a situation.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtsɔ ˈjɛst ˈɲɛ ˈtak/
Did you know?
- While co jest nie tak? asks what is wrong with a situation, asking a person co z tobą? can sound more like 'what is the matter with you?' and may be perceived as confrontational.
- If a Pole answers wszystko w porządku to co jest nie tak?, they are saying 'everything is in order'.
- The word co shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'who', both originating from the Proto-Indo-European root for interrogative pronouns.
Examples in context
- Co się stało? Wyglądasz na smutnego/a.What happened? You look sad.
- Widzę, że jesteś smutna. Co jest nie tak?I see you are sad. What is wrong?
Example conversation
Krzysztof notices Anna looking frustrated with her homework.
- KrzysztofAnno, co jest nie tak?Anna, what is wrong?
- AnnaNie mogę rozwiązać tego zadania.I cannot solve this task.
- KrzysztofPokaż mi to, pomogę ci.Show it to me, I will help you.
- AnnaDziękuję, Krzysztofie!Thank you, Krzysztof!
