• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “one could steal horses [with them].” This is a high compliment paid to someone’s character, meaning they are exceptionally reliable, brave, and loyal. It suggests that this person is someone you could trust even in a risky, “high-stakes” situation—the kind of friend who won’t abandon you when things get difficult.

  Vocabulary

  • kraść — to steal
  • koń — horse
  • można — one can / it is possible

  Grammar note

  The word 'można' is an impersonal modal verb followed by the infinitive 'kraść'. The object 'konie' is in the accusative plural, which for non-masculine-personal nouns like horses, looks the same as the nominative.

  Cultural context

  Historically, horse stealing was a serious and dangerous crime; having a partner you could trust implicitly was a matter of life and death. Today, it is used more broadly for any loyal friend.

  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!