• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “as much strength as one has,” this idiom means with all one’s might — at maximum effort or speed. It functions as an adverbial intensifier attached to verbs of physical effort, movement, or vocal force. The phrase captures a wholehearted, all-out exertion rather than a measured one. Poles use it when someone is pushing themselves to their absolute limit.

  Vocabulary

  • ile — how much, as much as (interrogative/relative adverb)
  • sił — of strength (genitive plural of *siła*, strength/force)
  • ile sił w nogach — with all the strength in one's legs (expanded form, common with running)

  Grammar note

  *Sił* is the genitive plural of *siła* (strength), used after *ile* in a partitive construction: 'as much as there is of strength.' The phrase acts as an adverbial modifier: *biegł ile sił* — 'he ran with all his might.' It can be expanded to *ile sił w nogach* ('as much strength as there is in the legs') for even greater emphasis, especially with verbs of running or escaping.

  Cultural context

  A vivid, colloquial expression used across all registers — from narrative fiction to sports commentary to everyday speech. It most naturally pairs with verbs like *krzyczeć* (to shout), *pędzić* (to rush), *biec* (to run), or *pracować* (to work): *krzyczała ile sił* — 'she screamed with all her might.' The closest English equivalents are 'with all one's might,' 'as hard as one can,' or 'for all one is worth.'

  Intermediate

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