• Listen

  What it means

  Literally: “to race through a life” — ‘pędzić’ means to rush or race, and ‘żywot’ is an archaic or literary word for a life or existence. Together the phrase means to lead or live out one’s life in a particular way, often in a specific place or manner. It has a slightly weary, reflective tone, as if surveying a long stretch of time. A typical use: “Pędził żywot na wsi z dala od miejskiego zgiełku” (“He lived out his life in the countryside, far from the urban bustle”). The phrase is not used for fast-paced living — the ‘pędzić’ here has an older sense of ’to lead’ or ’to drive along’.

  Vocabulary

  • pędzić — to race, to rush; (archaic) to drive, to lead
  • żywot — life, existence (archaic/literary; modern word: życie)
  • żywota — of life (genitive of żywot, used in some set phrases)

  Grammar note

  'Żywot' is a masculine noun in the accusative case here, serving as the direct object of 'pędzić'. In modern Polish, 'życie' is the standard word for 'life'; 'żywot' survives mainly in set idioms, religious texts, and elevated literary prose. The phrase is always imperfective ('pędzić'), describing a continuous state of living.

  Cultural context

  This is a literary or slightly old-fashioned expression, familiar to educated speakers from literature and older texts. It is unlikely to appear in casual conversation but common in essays, novels, and speeches. It does not have a single direct English equivalent — 'to live out one's days' or 'to spend one's life' come closest.

  Advanced

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!