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  What it means

  Literally “to the harm of” or “to the detriment of.” The phrase expresses that something works against someone’s interests or causes them damage. It always appears with a genitive complement identifying whose detriment is meant: “na szkodę kogoś/czegoś” (to the detriment of someone/something). For example: “Działał na szkodę firmy” (He acted to the detriment of the company) or “Takie decyzje działają na szkodę pacjentów” (Such decisions work to the patients’ detriment). It is a formal legal and administrative expression.

  Vocabulary

  • szkoda — harm, damage; also "it's a pity" (in a different context)
  • szkodę — (accusative of szkoda) — required after "na"
  • na szkodę kogoś — to someone's detriment, against someone's interests
  • działać na szkodę — to act to the detriment of, to work against
  • ze szkodą dla — to the detriment of (a close variant using genitive)

  Grammar note

  "Na szkodę" uses "na" + accusative — "szkodę" is the accusative singular of the feminine noun "szkoda." The phrase is always followed by a genitive complement: "na szkodę firmy" (genitive of firma). This two-level structure — accusative phrase followed by genitive — is typical of Polish legal and formal language. Note the polysemy of "szkoda": as a noun it means harm/damage, but as a stand-alone interjection it means "what a pity" — context is essential.

  Cultural context

  "Na szkodę" belongs to a formal, legal, and administrative register. It appears frequently in court rulings, contracts, company policies, and official complaints. In everyday speech Poles more often use "zaszkodzić komuś" (to harm someone) or "działać przeciwko komuś" (to act against someone). Encountering "na szkodę" in a document is a signal that the text has legal implications.

  Intermediate

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