• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “at a call” or “on summons.” The phrase means immediately available, ready at a moment’s notice — able to appear or perform the moment one is called. For example: “Nie jestem na twoje zawołanie” (I’m not at your beck and call) or “Ma asystenta, który jest na zawołanie” (He has an assistant who is on call at all times). The idiom often carries a slight edge of resentment or irony — being “na zawołanie” implies a power imbalance, where one person is always expected to serve or respond to another.

  Vocabulary

  • zawołanie — a call, a summons, a shout (verbal noun from zawołać — to call out)
  • zawołać — to call out, to summon (perfective verb)
  • na zawołanie — at one's beck and call, on command, on demand
  • być na czyjeś zawołanie — to be at someone's beck and call
  • na rozkaz — on order, on command (a more military equivalent)

  Grammar note

  "Na zawołanie" uses "na" + accusative. "Zawołanie" is a neuter verbal noun (derived from "zawołać"), and its accusative is identical to its nominative. The phrase functions as an adverbial of manner. It differs subtly from "na rozkaz" (on command) — "na zawołanie" implies instant personal availability to another person, while "na rozkaz" is more explicitly about following a formal order.

  Cultural context

  The phrase is stylistically neutral but frequently appears in contexts suggesting unwanted subservience. Saying "nie jestem na twoje zawołanie" (I'm not at your beck and call) is a firm way of asserting one's independence in an unequal relationship — whether between an employee and a demanding boss, or in personal relationships. It is the precise Polish equivalent of the English idiom "at someone's beck and call." In positive contexts it can describe reliable on-call services.

  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!