• Listen

  What it means

  From French: literally “hat off.” Used in Polish as an exclamation of admiration — hats off, well done, I take my hat off to you.

  Vocabulary

  • chapeau — hat (French)
  • bas — down / low (French)

  Grammar note

  Used as an indeclinable exclamation in Polish. Often written without accents: 'szapo ba.' Can be used with dative: 'chapeau bas dla kogoś.'

  Cultural context

  A French borrowing that has been fully absorbed into Polish. Reflects the historical French cultural influence on Polish educated classes.

  Intermediate

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!