• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “God forbid.” An exclamation used to strongly reject a suggestion or ward off an undesirable outcome — expressing that something should absolutely not happen.

  Vocabulary

  • broń — defend / protect (imperative of 'bronić')
  • Bóg — God

  Grammar note

  'Boże' is the vocative of 'Bóg' — used when addressing God directly. The imperative 'broń' calls on God to protect against something.

  Cultural context

  A deeply rooted expression in Polish Catholic culture, used even by non-religious speakers as a general exclamation.

  Beginner

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