Iść na marne
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What it means
Literally “to go to wastedness.” This idiom is used when effort, money, or talent is completely wasted and yields no results. It’s the feeling of all your hard work “going down the drain.”
Vocabulary
- marny — miserable / poor / wasted
- strata — loss
Grammar note
'Na marne' is a fixed adverbial phrase. Interestingly, 'marne' is the accusative plural of the adjective 'marny' used as a noun.
Cultural context
"Tyle pracy poszło na marne!" (So much work went to waste!) is a common expression of deep frustration.
Intermediate
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