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  What it means

  Literally “time is money,” this idiom is a direct Polish parallel to the English saying of the same meaning. It expresses the idea that wasting time is equivalent to wasting money — that time is a valuable, finite resource. Poles use it to urge efficiency, justify rushing, or explain why they can’t linger.

  Vocabulary

  • czas — time (masculine noun, nominative)
  • to — is (linking particle, equivalent to 'jest' in this construction)
  • pieniądz — money (masculine noun, nominative singular; colloquially used as mass noun)

  Grammar note

  The word 'to' here is not the pronoun 'to' (that/it) but a predicate particle used in definitional sentences of the type 'X to Y' — equivalent to 'X is Y.' This construction does not require the verb 'być' (to be): 'Czas to pieniądz' is more emphatic and aphoristic than 'Czas jest pieniądzem' (which would require the instrumental case on the predicate noun).

  Cultural context

  The phrase is widely attributed (in its English form) to Benjamin Franklin, and the Polish version is a direct calque. It is used across all registers — from casual conversation to business settings. Poles may use it humorously to justify any small hurry, or ironically when someone is clearly wasting time despite claiming to be busy.

  Beginner

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