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  What it means

  Literally “on the strength/power of,” this phrase means “by virtue of,” “pursuant to,” or “under” — as in under an agreement, law, or authority. It is a formal, legalistic expression used to indicate the basis or justification for an action. For example, ’na mocy ustawy’ means ‘under the act/law.’ It is not used in casual conversation; it belongs firmly to legal, administrative, and official written language.

  Vocabulary

  • na — on (preposition governing genitive)
  • moc — power, force, strength (noun, f.)
  • mocy — power (genitive singular of moc)

  Grammar note

  The preposition 'na' here takes the genitive case: 'na mocy' = 'on the basis of power/authority.' This is a fixed prepositional phrase. It is always followed by a genitive noun phrase specifying what authority is being invoked: 'na mocy prawa' (by force of law), 'na mocy umowy' (by virtue of the agreement).

  Cultural context

  This phrase is firmly formal and bureaucratic — you will encounter it in legal documents, decrees, and official correspondence. Using it in casual speech would sound odd or pretentious. It corresponds to English 'pursuant to,' 'by virtue of,' or 'under' in legal contexts.

  Intermediate

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