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  What it means

  Literally “to give faith/belief,” this idiom means to believe something, to give credence to a claim, or to accept something as true. It is often used in negative or interrogative constructions: “Nie mogę temu dać wiary” means “I can’t believe this” or “I can’t give credence to that.” It expresses a sense of disbelief or surprise at something hard to accept. In positive form, it means to trust or believe a person or statement.

  Vocabulary

  • dać — to give (perfective infinitive)
  • wiarę — faith, belief (accusative singular of 'wiara')
  • wiara — faith, belief, trust
  • nie móc dać wiary — to be unable to believe, to find unbelievable

  Grammar note

  The noun 'wiara' (faith/belief) appears here in the accusative singular ('wiarę') as the direct object of 'dać.' This is a slightly elevated or literary expression — the more colloquial equivalent would be 'uwierzyć' (to believe). The phrase 'nie dać wiary' closely parallels the English 'to give no credence.' Note the perfective aspect of 'dać,' which stresses the definitive act of believing or not believing.

  Cultural context

  This phrase has a somewhat literary or elevated register and is common in journalism, literature, and formal speech. It conveys a stronger sense of incredulity than the plain 'nie wierzę' (I don't believe it). You might hear it in responses to surprising news. The closest English idioms are 'I can't give it credence,' 'I find it hard to believe,' or the informal 'I can't wrap my head around it.'

  Intermediate

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