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  What it means

  Literally “to give for won,” this idiom means to give up, to stop fighting, or to accept defeat and quit. It describes the moment when someone decides the struggle is no longer worth continuing and concedes. For example: “Nie dawaj za wygraną — walcz o swoje!” — “Don’t give up — fight for what’s yours!” It implies a choice to stop resisting rather than being forced to stop.

  Vocabulary

  • dawać — to give (imperfective)
  • za — for (preposition + accusative)
  • wygrana — win, victory (feminine noun)
  • wygraną — win (accusative of wygrana)

  Grammar note

  The preposition 'za' here governs the accusative case, hence 'wygraną' rather than the nominative 'wygrana.' The construction is fixed and the imperfective 'dawać' is standard; the perfective equivalent would be 'dać za wygraną,' emphasizing the completed act of giving up.

  Cultural context

  This is a neutral, widely used phrase equivalent to English 'to give up,' 'to throw in the towel,' or 'to concede defeat.' It appears in motivational contexts (telling someone NOT to give up) as well as descriptions of past defeat. There is no vulgar or regional variation.

  Beginner

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