• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “the fifth wheel on a wagon.” Since a wagon traditionally only needs four wheels to function, a fifth one is entirely redundant. This describes a person who feels unnecessary, unwanted, or like they are getting in the way in a social situation.

  Vocabulary

  • koło — wheel
  • wóz — wagon / cart
  • niepotrzebny — unnecessary

  Grammar note

  Uses the ordinal number 'piąte' (fifth) in the neuter form to match 'koło'. 'U wozu' is the preposition 'u' followed by the genitive of 'wóz'.

  Cultural context

  In modern contexts, this is very frequently used when a single person hangs out with a romantic couple and feels awkward.

  Beginner

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!