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  What it means

  Literally “to button up one’s own (goal),” this idiom means to successfully achieve what one set out to do — often in the face of obstacles or opposition. The image comes from fastening the last button on a garment: the task is finally, fully complete. It implies determination and persistence paying off in the end.

  Vocabulary

  • dopiąć — to button up, to fasten completely (perfective); figuratively, to achieve one's aim
  • swego — one's own (genitive of *swój*, used pronominally to mean 'one's own goal/way')

  Grammar note

  *Swego* is the genitive form of the possessive *swój* (one's own), used here as a pronoun without an explicit noun — it implies 'one's own aim' or 'one's own way.' The verb *dopiąć* is perfective, indicating successful completion. This expression is almost always used in the perfective: *dopiął swego* — 'he got what he wanted / he saw it through.'

  Cultural context

  Slightly formal or literary in feel, this idiom is used when someone has successfully pushed through to get their desired outcome despite difficulty. It is neutral in register — neither slangy nor overly elevated — and appears in journalism and formal speech as well as in conversation. The closest English equivalents are 'to get one's way,' 'to achieve one's aim,' or 'to see it through.'

  Intermediate

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