• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “let us give for that,” this phrase functions as a discourse marker meaning “let’s say,” “say,” or “suppose.” It introduces a hypothetical example or assumption in an argument or explanation — similar to “say, for argument’s sake” in English. You might hear it mid-sentence to introduce a concrete illustration: Dajmy na to, że masz tydzień na naukę. (“Say you have a week to study.”) It is common in spoken Polish and in informal writing.

  Vocabulary

  • dajmy — let us give (1st person plural imperative of *dawać*)
  • na — on, for (preposition)
  • to — that, it (demonstrative/pronoun)

  Grammar note

  The form *dajmy* is the 1st person plural imperative of *dawać* (imperfective), used to suggest a collective action — 'let us.' The construction *dać/dawać na coś* (to give something for something) here has bleached its literal meaning entirely and survives only as a fixed phrase. The entire expression is invariable.

  Cultural context

  This is a conversational filler with a slightly old-fashioned or literary feel — you are more likely to encounter it in essays, debates, or educated speech than in casual texting. It is stylistically interchangeable with *powiedzmy* ('let's say') or *na przykład* ('for example'), though *dajmy na to* sounds more thoughtful and deliberate.

  Intermediate

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