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  What it means

  Literally “to take from the air,” this idiom means to make something up out of thin air, to invent or fabricate information without any basis in reality. It describes claims, numbers, or facts that have no evidence behind them — pulled from nowhere. Poles use it critically, often to challenge or dismiss what someone has just said as baseless.

  Vocabulary

  • brać — to take (imperfective)
  • z — from, out of (preposition + genitive)
  • powietrza — of the air (genitive of powietrze)
  • powietrze — air

  Grammar note

  The preposition z requires the genitive case, hence powietrza (genitive of powietrze). The phrase functions as a verb phrase: brać coś z powietrza — 'to pull something out of thin air.' Brać is imperfective, suggesting a recurring or habitual tendency to fabricate.

  Cultural context

  This phrase is neutral to mildly critical in register and is used both in casual conversation and in written commentary. It's often heard when debating statistics or accusations: Te liczby bierze z powietrza — 'He's pulling those numbers out of thin air.' The English equivalent is 'to make something up out of thin air' or 'to pull something out of nowhere.'

  Intermediate

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