• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “speaking differently” or “saying it another way,” this phrase is a discourse connector used to introduce a restatement or clarification of something just said. It is the Polish equivalent of “in other words,” “that is to say,” or “put differently.” It signals that the speaker is about to rephrase an idea for clarity, not add new information. It is extremely common in academic writing, lectures, formal presentations, and careful everyday speech.

  Vocabulary

  • inaczej — differently, otherwise
  • mówiąc — speaking (adverbial participle of mówić)

  Grammar note

  The form 'mówiąc' is an adverbial participle (imiesłów przysłówkowy współczesny) derived from the imperfective verb 'mówić' (to speak/say). This participle form is used to create constructions meaning 'while doing X' or 'by doing X'. Other common examples: 'krótko mówiąc' (briefly speaking / in short), 'szczerze mówiąc' (frankly speaking), 'ściśle mówiąc' (strictly speaking).

  Cultural context

  This connector belongs to a productive family of similar Polish discourse markers all built on the 'adverb + mówiąc' pattern. Learners who master this family gain a natural-sounding way to structure explanations and arguments. It is appropriate at all levels of formality and appears constantly in Polish media and academic texts.

  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!