• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to sprinkle one’s head with ashes.” To express deep regret or publicly admit one’s fault. “To do penance,” “to humble oneself.”

  Vocabulary

  • popiół — ash

  Grammar note

  Instrumental 'popiołem' (by means of ash).

  Cultural context

  Biblical origin, common in political and public apologies.

  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!