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  What it means

  Literally, “like a stone into water” — evoking a stone that sinks and disappears without a trace. Figuratively, it describes someone or something that vanishes completely, leaving no sign or word behind. It is most often used about a person who has gone silent or disappeared from someone’s life: “Przepadł jak kamień w wodę” (He disappeared without a trace). It can also apply to money, time, or effort that is spent with no visible result.

  Vocabulary

  • kamień — stone, rock (nominative singular; genitive: kamienia)
  • woda — water (nominative); w wodę = into the water (accusative with w)
  • jak — like, as (conjunction introducing a simile)
  • przepaść — to vanish, to disappear completely (perfective verb)

  Grammar note

  The preposition 'w' takes the accusative case when expressing direction or entry into something — hence 'w wodę' (into the water), not 'w wodzie' (in the water). The idiom functions as a simile predicate and is almost always paired with a verb of disappearance: 'zniknął jak kamień w wodę' or 'przepadł jak kamień w wodę.'

  Cultural context

  Neutral register, common in everyday speech and writing. Poles use it when someone cuts off contact unexpectedly or when resources disappear without effect. The closest English equivalents are 'vanished into thin air' or 'dropped off the face of the earth.'

  Intermediate

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