• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “What [is done] hastily is [as if] after the devil.” The proverb warns that acting in haste leads to bad outcomes — things rushed through without care end up ruined or counterproductive, as if the devil himself had interfered. It is one of the most frequently cited Polish cautions against impatience. You’ll hear it when someone rushes a task and makes avoidable mistakes.

  English equivalent

  Haste makes waste.

  Vocabulary

  • nagle — hastily, suddenly; adverb
  • po diable — gone to the devil, ruined; idiomatic phrase using preposition 'po' + locative of diabeł
  • diabeł — devil; the locative form 'diable' is used after 'po'

  Grammar note

  'Po diable' uses the preposition 'po' with the locative case ('diable' is the locative of 'diabeł'). The full structure has an implied 'jest' (is): 'Co nagle [jest], to po diable [jest].' The preposition 'po' with a noun can mean 'gone to X' or 'in the manner of X' — here it carries the idiomatic meaning of ruin or devilish influence.

  Cultural context

  Neutral to colloquial register, one of the best-known Polish proverbs about patience. The devil reference reflects old Polish folk beliefs linking haste and carelessness to diabolical interference. Freely used in everyday conversation, especially by older Poles cautioning the young against rushing.

  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!