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  What it means

  Literally “even if it were collapsing and burning,” this vivid expression means “no matter what happens,” “come hell or high water,” or “regardless of any catastrophe.” It conjures an image of everything falling apart — buildings crumbling and fires raging — to emphasize that nothing could change the speaker’s course of action or the inevitability of an outcome. Poles use it to stress absolute resolve or certainty.

  Vocabulary

  • choćby — even if, even though (concessive conjunction)
  • się waliło — it was collapsing (reflexive imperfective past of walić się)
  • walić się — to collapse, to crumble
  • paliło — it was burning (imperfective past of palić)

  Grammar note

  'Choćby' is a concessive conjunction that triggers the conditional/subjunctive in Polish, expressed with the past tense form. 'Się waliło' and 'paliło' are imperfective past tense forms indicating ongoing catastrophe. The subject is an impersonal 'się' construction. The full phrase functions as a fixed adverbial clause meaning 'whatever happens.'

  Cultural context

  This is a colourful, expressive phrase common in informal and colloquial speech. It paints a dramatic picture and is often used with a touch of hyperbole and humour. It is close in meaning to the English 'come hell or high water,' 'no matter what,' or 'even if the world ends.' It appears frequently in everyday conversations, fiction, and journalism when emphasizing determination.

  Intermediate

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