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  What it means

  Whether you stand or lie down, two thousand is owed — a sardonic comment on fixed costs or salaries that must be paid regardless of effort.

  English equivalent

  The rent is due whether you work or not.

  Vocabulary

  • stać — to stand
  • leżeć — to lie down
  • należeć się — to be owed, to be due

  Grammar note

  Reflexive 'się stoi / się leży' — impersonal constructions meaning 'one stands / one lies'.

  Cultural context

  Originally referred to a fixed monthly wage of 2,000 złoty during the communist era; now used ironically about any unavoidable fixed payment.

  Intermediate

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