• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to carry on one’s shoulders,” this idiom means to bear a heavy burden of responsibility — to be the one holding up something important for others. It is used for people who shoulder significant obligations, whether financial, emotional, or organisational. The image is of a figure straining under a load balanced across their shoulders.

  Vocabulary

  • dźwigać — to carry, to haul (imperfective; implies effort and ongoing weight)
  • na — on (preposition taking locative)
  • barkach — shoulders (locative plural of *bark*)

  Grammar note

  The preposition *na* with the locative case (*barkach*) indicates the location where the weight rests. *Dźwigać* is imperfective, emphasising the ongoing nature of the burden. What is being carried appears as a direct object in the accusative: *dźwigać na barkach odpowiedzialność* — 'to carry responsibility on one's shoulders.' The subject is the person bearing it.

  Cultural context

  Used in formal, journalistic, and literary Polish as well as in everyday speech, this expression is commonly applied to breadwinners, leaders, and parents. It conveys both admiration and sympathy for the person so burdened. The closest English equivalent is 'to carry the weight on one's shoulders' or 'to bear the burden.' It is never ironic.

  Intermediate

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!