• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to not have everyone at home,” this is a humorous and very common way to say someone is “crazy” or “not all there.” The “tenants” who are missing are, of course, the person’s wits or senses. It’s the Polish equivalent of saying “the lights are on, but nobody’s home.”

  Vocabulary

  • wszyscy — everyone
  • dom — home
  • wariat — crazy person / madman

  Grammar note

  This phrase always uses the negation 'nie', and 'wszystkich' (everyone) is in the genitive/accusative plural.

  Cultural context

  This is one of the most popular ways to gently (or sarcastically) question someone's sanity in Polish.

  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!