• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to take something to one’s ambition,” this idiom means to take something as a personal challenge or point of pride — to feel a burning need to prove oneself. It describes a psychological state in which a task or taunt triggers someone’s competitive spirit and drives them to succeed out of stubbornness or self-esteem. Poles use it to explain why someone puts extra effort into something, often because they were doubted or challenged.

  Vocabulary

  • brać — to take (imperfective)
  • na — to, onto (preposition)
  • ambicję — ambition, pride (accusative of ambicja)
  • ambicja — ambition, self-pride

  Grammar note

  The preposition na here governs the accusative case (ambicję). The full construction is brać coś na ambicję — 'to take something as a challenge to one's pride.' The verb brać is imperfective, conveying a habitual or ongoing emotional reaction rather than a one-time event.

  Cultural context

  This is a colloquial, emotionally expressive phrase. Poles often say Wziął to na ambicję ('He took it as a matter of pride') to explain driven, sometimes stubborn behavior. It carries a mildly positive connotation of determination but can also hint at oversensitivity. A rough English equivalent is 'to take something personally as a challenge' or 'to make it a point of honor.'

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!