Na szczęście
Listen
What it means
Literally “for luck,” this phrase is the standard Polish way to say “fortunately” or “luckily.” It is used to introduce a positive turn of events or to express relief that a situation isn’t worse than it is. Poles use it as a sentence starter or an interjection in both casual and formal speech.
Vocabulary
- szczęście — luck / happiness / fortune
- nieszczęście — misfortune (antonym)
- fart — fluke / stroke of luck (slang)
Grammar note
'Na szczęście' is a fixed adverbial phrase. It uses the preposition 'na' followed by the accusative case of the neuter noun 'szczęście'.
Cultural context
Unlike in English where "luck" and "happiness" are different words, in Polish 'szczęście' covers both concepts, making this phrase feel quite profound.
Beginner
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!
More Polish idioms
- Literally "one's whole life flew past before the eyes," this phrase describes the vivid, involuntary …
- Literally "for an example," na przykład is the standard Polish phrase for "for example" or "for …
- Literally "in the last/recent times," ostatnimi czasy is a common temporal phrase meaning "lately," …
- Literally "in the manner of Judas," this adverb describes acting in a treacherous, backstabbing way …