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  What it means

  Literally “to step onto someone’s ambition,” this idiom means to provoke or challenge someone’s pride or ego. When something ‘wchodzi na ambicję’ (gets to your pride), you feel personally challenged and compelled to prove yourself. It describes the feeling of being goaded into action by wounded pride.

  Vocabulary

  • wchodzić — to enter, to step onto (imperfective)
  • ambicja — ambition, pride, ego
  • na — onto (preposition governing accusative)

  Grammar note

  'Ambicję' is the accusative singular of 'ambicja' (feminine noun), required after the preposition 'na' when indicating direction or target.

  Cultural context

  Poles place great value on personal honor and competence, so 'wejść komuś na ambicję' (to wound someone's pride) is a real social dynamic frequently referenced in everyday speech.

  Intermediate

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