nawzajem
/naˈvza.jɛm/
In Polish, "you too" is said as nawzajem.
nawzajem is used as a concise response to return a greeting or a good wish to another person, such as "Have a nice day" or "Good luck", without needing to repeat the entire sentence.
What does it mean word for word?
The word nawzajem literally means "each other" or "mutually".
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, which uses a pronoun and an adverb, the Polish equivalent is a single adverb that functions as a complete response.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable: /naˈvza.jɛm/.
Did you know?
- The root wzajem is related to the Old Slavic word for 'exchange', linking the act of returning a greeting to a social transaction or trade.
- Because nawzajem is an adverb, it does not change its form regardless of whether you are speaking to a man, a woman, or a group.
- The word nawzajem is a 'univerbation', meaning it was formed by fusing the preposition na and the noun wzajem into one single word over time.
Examples in context
- Nawzajem!You too!
- Dziękuję, nawzajem.Thank you, you too.
Example conversation
Agnieszka and Paweł are saying goodbye after a coffee date.
- AgnieszkaMiłego dnia, Paweł!Have a nice day, Paweł!
- PawełDziękuję, nawzajem!Thank you, you too!
- AgnieszkaDo zobaczenia!See you later!
- PawełCześć, Agnieszko.Bye, Agnieszka.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry nawzajem, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nawzajem, CC BY-SA 4.0.
