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  What it means

  Literally “to lie / rest on someone’s shoulders.” The imperfective counterpart of ‘spocząć na barkach’ — describes an ongoing state where a responsibility or burden continuously weighs on a person.

  Vocabulary

  • spoczywać — to rest / to lie (imperfective)
  • barki — shoulders
  • na barkach — on the shoulders (locative)

  Grammar note

  The imperfective aspect of 'spoczywać' emphasises the continuous, unresolved nature of the burden, unlike the perfective 'spocząć' which marks a single moment.

  Cultural context

  Used frequently in journalism and formal speech: 'Odpowiedzialność spoczywa na barkach rządu' (The responsibility rests on the government's shoulders).

  Intermediate

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