Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA |
|---|---|
| oj tam | /ˈɔj ˈtam/ |
| jeden pies | /ˈjɛ.dɛn ˈpjɛs/ |
When you want to express a dismissive attitude and indicate that you do not care what someone says, use oj tam or jeden pies. Specifically, oj tam is used to dismiss a topic, a complaint or a concern, often functioning as a way to say 'don't worry about it' or 'it's not important'.
Which one should you use?
If you are using 'whatever' as a relative pronoun or determiner (for example, in the sense of 'whatever happens'), you should use the related form cokolwiek. In contrast, use oj tam or jeden pies only when you are expressing a dismissive attitude in conversation. Between the dismissive forms, jeden pies is an idiomatic way to say 'it's all the same' or 'it doesn't matter', whereas oj tam acts more like a dismissive verbal shrug.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
oj tam is a colloquial expression. For a formal way to say 'as you prefer', you can use Jak Pan(i) woli.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɔj ˈtam/
Did you know?
- The phrase jeden pies is a literal translation of 'one dog', which makes no immediate sense in English but expresses that everything is equal or indistinguishable.
- While oj tam can dismiss a concern, it is often paired with a specific hand gesture, such as waving a hand away from the body to physically 'push' the topic away.
- The particle oj in oj tam is considered onomatopoeic, meaning it is a sound meant to imitate a human sigh or an utterance of emotion.
Examples in context
- "Ale przytyłem ostatnio…" "Oj tam, oj tam"."Boy have I been putting on weight recently…" "Oh, whatever".This example shows how to use oj tam to dismiss a comment about weight gain.
- Nie mam konkretnych preferencji dotyczących jedzenia, więc zamówmy to, co chcesz – jakoś to będzie.I don't have any specific food preferences, so let's order whatever you want – it'll be fine somehow.
- Nie mam ochoty decydować, zamów więc cokolwiek sam.I don't feel like deciding, so just order whatever you want.
- Nie mam ulubionych filmów, jakkolwiek chcesz spędzić wieczór, mi to pasuje.I don't have favorite movies, however you want to spend the evening, it's fine by me.
- Oj tam, nie przejmuj się tym.Whatever, don't worry about it.
- Oj tam, to nie jest takie ważne.Whatever, it's not that important.
Example conversation
Krzysztof and Katarzyna are discussing a small mistake.
- KrzysztofPrzepraszam, że spóźniłem się pięć minut.I'm sorry that I was five minutes late.
- KatarzynaOj tam, wcale nie było problemu.Whatever, it wasn't a problem at all.
- KrzysztofNaprawdę? Myślałem, że będziesz zła.Really? I thought you would be angry.
- KatarzynaNie bądź taki dramatyczny, Krzysztofie.Don't be so dramatic, Krzysztof.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “whatever” translations and entries oj tam, jeden pies, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jeden, jeden pies, oj, oj tam, pies, tam, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
