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  What it means

  “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Used when something is clearly wrong in an organisation, institution, or situation — often with an ironic or literary tone.

  English equivalent

  Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

  Vocabulary

  • źle — badly, wrongly
  • dziać się — to happen, to be going on
  • państwo — state, country
  • duński — Danish

  Grammar note

  'Dzieje się' is the reflexive third-person singular of 'dziać się'. 'W państwie duńskim' uses the locative case.

  Cultural context

  A direct allusion to Shakespeare's Hamlet ('Something is rotten in the state of Denmark'), well known in Polish literary culture.

  Intermediate

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