• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “may a stroke hit it/him/her,” this is a strong cry of frustration, anger, or exasperation, like English “damn it!,” “blast it!,” or “to hell with it!” The word ‘szlag’ means an apoplectic stroke, so it is an old-fashioned curse that still sounds forceful. Despite the dramatic literal meaning, people use it freely in everyday Polish as a swear word.

  Vocabulary

  • niech — let / may (particle used to form 3rd-person imperatives)
  • szlag — apoplectic stroke (archaic); here used as a general curse word
  • trafi — hits / strikes (3rd person singular perfective of trafić)

  Grammar note

  'Niech' + a third-person verb makes a Polish imperative for the third person, a wish or command about someone or something not present. 'Trafi' is perfective and describes one completed event, a single strike. You can also add the person or thing affected in the accusative: 'niech szlag trafi tego komputer!' (damn this computer!).

  Cultural context

  This is a fairly strong Polish swear word, though not the most vulgar. It is informal and emotional, used when something goes badly wrong, such as a broken device, a frustrating situation, or an annoying person. People use it across regions and age groups. 'Trafił go szlag' (a stroke hit him) means he flew into a sudden rage or nearly had a fit.

  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!