• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to feel like a fish in water,” this idiom means to feel completely at home, comfortable, and in one’s element in a given situation or environment. Just as a fish is perfectly suited to water, a person described this way is entirely in their natural habitat. Poles use it to describe someone who thrives in a particular setting — a social butterfly at a party, an expert in their field, or a child playing outdoors.

  Vocabulary

  • czuć się — to feel (reflexive, imperfective)
  • jak — like, as
  • ryba — fish (feminine noun, nominative)
  • w — in (preposition governing locative)
  • wodzie — water (locative singular of woda)

  Grammar note

  'W' governs the locative case, so 'woda' becomes 'wodzie'. The reflexive verb 'czuć się' is used here with a comparative clause ('jak ryba w wodzie') functioning as a predicate complement. The phrase can be used in any tense: 'czuje się jak ryba w wodzie' (present), 'czuł się jak ryba w wodzie' (past).

  Cultural context

  This is a universally understood, neutral expression suitable for any register — from children's books to newspaper profiles. Its English counterpart is identical: 'to feel like a fish in water' or 'to be in one's element.' The phrase is frequently used in positive descriptions of confidence and belonging.

  Beginner

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!