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  What it means

  Literally “to take to the questioning,” this idiom means to interrogate, grill, or question someone intensely — often more aggressively than is comfortable. It implies a thorough, sometimes relentless line of questioning, like an interrogation. Poles use it when someone is being peppered with probing questions, whether by a parent, a boss, a journalist, or a suspicious partner.

  Vocabulary

  • brać — to take (imperfective)
  • na — to, onto (preposition)
  • spytki — questioning, interrogation (archaic plural of spytka — inquiry)

  Grammar note

  The verb 'brać' is imperfective, emphasising the ongoing or habitual act of interrogating. 'Na spytki' uses the preposition 'na' with the accusative plural 'spytki', indicating direction or purpose. The perfective counterpart is 'wziąć na spytki', used when the interrogation is completed or begins at a specific moment.

  Cultural context

  'Spytki' is an archaic word rarely used outside this idiom, which gives the phrase a slightly old-fashioned but still widely understood feel. The idiom is colloquial and often used humorously — it can describe anything from a police interrogation to a mother questioning her teenager about where they were last night. The English equivalent is 'to grill someone' or 'to put someone through the wringer.'

  Intermediate

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