at the crack of dawn
bladym świtem, skoro świt
|
We had to get up at the crack of dawn to be able to catch the plane.
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at the earliest opportunity
|
przy najbliższej okazji
|
I am really sorry but I didn’t have time to look at your essay yet. I will do at the earliest opportunity though, I promise!
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at the end of the year
|
pod koniec roku
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At the end of the year we always have much more work to do.
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at the mercy of something
|
na łasce czegoś
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We are going away for a short break this weekend. It’s supposed to be a real outdoor trip and we are staying in a tent. So we are fully at the mercy of the weather! Let’s hope it doesn’t rain.
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at the moment
|
w tej chwili
|
We are very sorry, but the book is not available at the moment. You could come back next week. Chances are we will have it.
|
at the point of something
|
u progu czegoś
|
I am currently at the point of nervous breakdown. I really can’t take it any more.
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at the risk of something
|
ryzykując coś
|
I decided to say what I thought at the risk of losing my job.
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at the same time
|
w tym samym czasie, jednocześnie
|
They did it at the same time.
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at the sight of something
|
na widok czegoś
|
I was absolutely speechless at the sight of the painting.
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at the start of something
|
na początku czegoś
|
I didn’t like him at all at the start of the play, but my approach changed later on.
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at the top
|
na samej górze
|
We are at the very top of the building. You need to take a lift.
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at the top of one’s voice
|
na całe gardło, z całych sił (np. krzyczeć)
|
I couldn’t stand her speaking at the top of her voice all the time. She was extremely loud and it really didn’t help my awful headache.
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at the turn of the century
|
na przełomie wieków
|
My granddad was born at the turn of the century.
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at this rate
|
w tym tempie
|
We will never manage to finish it at this rate.
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back and forth
|
tam i z powrotem
|
Yesterday I was moving to my new flat at the other end of the building. So I had to walk back and forth to transfer all my stuff along the corridor all day.
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backward country
|
zacofany kraj
|
I always thought Bulgaria was a backward country, however, I was positively surprised when I first went to see the country.
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bad luck
|
pech
|
It’s just bad luck. You can’t do anything about it.
|
bags under one’s eyes
|
worki pod oczami
|
I was preparing a presentation for today’s meeting and didn’t have time to sleep at all. So I am really tired and have awful bags under my eyes.
|
be a nobody
|
być nikim
|
I feel like I am a nobody whenever I talk to him.
|
be a perfect match for something
|
idealnie pasować do czegoś
|
I think Sam is a perfect match for the role.
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be a tool in somebody’s hands
|
być narzędziem w czyichś rękach
|
Sarah is just a tool in his hands, she can’t make any decisions on her own.
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be all smiles
|
promieniować uśmiechem
|
She is always all smiles. It’s a pleasure to have her around.
|
be all thumbs
|
mieć dwie lewe ręce
|
I am useless at all arts and crafts. I am all thumbs.
|
be at a loss what to do
|
nie wiedzieć, co zrobić
|
She got accepted into both Oxford and Cambridge and is really at a loss what to do. They are both amazing universities.
|
be at one’s wits’ end
|
nie wiedzieć, co zrobić
|
I feel like I’m at my wits’ end.
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be back to square one
|
wrócić do punktu wyjścia
|
My last idea for the project was not accepted. I put so much work into it and now I am back at square one. I hate starting all over again with the project. It will take ages.
|
be between jobs
|
szukać nowej pracy
|
I am currently between jobs and have quite a lot of time on my hands.
|
be blind to something
|
być ślepym na coś
|
She is totally blind to what he’s really like.
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be due to do something
|
mieć coś zrobić
|
I am due to hand in the paper tomorrow.
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be dying for something
|
marzyć o czymś
|
It’s absolutely boiling in here. I am simply dying for a glass of ice cold water!
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be expecting a baby
|
spodziewać się dziecka
|
Anna has worked all through her pregnancy. She is expecting a baby in January so she will be leaving work soon I suppose.
|
be fully aware of something
|
w pełni zdawać sobie sprawę z czegoś
|
I am fully aware of the fact that life will be much tougher in South Africa but I am really looking forward to my year there.
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be getting on in years
|
starzeć się
|
I feel like I am getting on in years.
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be hard done by
|
zostać źle potraktowanym przez
|
I can’t believe I was hard done by Peter, out of all the people I know.
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be in a bind
|
być w trudnym położeniu
|
I really don’t know what to do, I don’t have much choice, I am in a bind.
|
be in a hurry
|
spieszyć się
|
I am sorry. I am in a hurry and can’t talk to you at the moment.
|
be in a state
|
być podenerwowanym
|
She is in such a state, better leave her alone.
|
be in a tight corner
|
znajdować się w sytuacji bez wyjścia
|
I feel like I am in a tight corner at the moment. I don’t have much of a choice as to what to do next.
|
be in good health
|
cieszyć się dobrym zdrowiem
|
Sam is already 80 and still feels great. But he’s always been in good heath.
|
be in league with somebody
|
być z kimś w zmowie
|
She is in league with Peter professionally.
|
be in line with something
|
zgadzać się z czymś
|
We are preparing new Christmas Cards for our company but we have to make sure that they are in line with company’s rules and regulations. Otherwise we won’t be able to use them.
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be in no position to do something
|
nie być w stanie czegoś zrobić, nie mieć możliwości
|
I am only an assistant here. I am in no position to make any decisions. You will have to wait for my manager to come back to give you the answer.
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be in one’s element
|
być w swoim żywiole
|
Kate was in her element, organising everything.
|
be in short supply
|
brakować czegoś
|
We are currently in short supply of water, so use sparingly.
|
be in somebody’s shadow
|
być/pozostawać w czyimś cieniu
|
Anne and Kate are twin sisters. Anne has always been in Kate’s shadow. Kate has always been the more talented one and was always favoured by their parents.
|
be in the habit of doing something
|
mieć zwyczaj coś robić
|
Now that I have moved into a shared flat, I have to get used to being really quiet in the morning not to wake everyone up. I used to be in the habit of switching the radio on really loud first thing when I got up every day.
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be in the lead
|
być na prowadzeniu, prowadzić
|
Kate, you are in the lead for today.
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be in the process of doing something
|
być w trakcie robienia czegoś
|
I am now in the process of writing it all up. It will be ready by tomorrow.
|
be in the public eye
|
być osobą publiczną, być w centrum zainteresowania
|
I hate being in the public eye, but that’s a big part of my job.
|
be in the same boat
|
jechać na jednym wózku
|
I totally understand what you mean; we are in the same boat.
|
be in use
|
być w użyciu
|
The bathroom is now in use, you’ll have to wait.
|
be looking for trouble
|
szukać kłopotów
|
Sam is always looking for trouble. He will be sorry one day.
|
be lost for words
|
nie móc znaleźć słów
|
I was delivering a speech in front of 100 people and suddenly forgot what to say next. I was simply lost for words for a while.
|
be lost in thoughts
|
być pogrążonym w myślach
|
I was lost in thought when the telephone rang.
|
be marked by something
|
charakteryzować się czymś
|
The decade was marked by rapid economic growth.
|
be master of something
|
być panem czegoś
|
Sam is a master of public speaking.
|
be meant for
|
być przeznaczonym dla
|
Don’t even try to ride this bike. It’s way too small for you. It is meant for children aged 5!
|
be more of a hindrance than a help
|
bardziej przeszkadzać niż pomagać
|
I feel like I am more of a hindrance than a help to you.
|
be my guest
|
nie krępuj się, proszę bardzo
|
– Can I have a look around?
– Be my guest.
|
be no match for somebody
|
nie dorównywać komuś
|
Sam is really no match for Tim when it comes to sailing.
|
be not long for this world
|
długo nie pociągnąć, długo nie pożyć
|
I am afraid that my computer is not long for this world.
|
be on everybody’s lips
|
być na ustach wszystkich
|
Laura has never been particularly controversial. Not many people noticed her, but since she dyed her hair blue, she is on everybody’s lips.
|
be on good terms with somebody
|
być z kimś w dobrych stosunkach
|
I am on very good terms with him so I will talk to him.
|
be on somebody’s side
|
być po czyjejś stronie
|
No matter what Peter says, Sam is always on his side. He always supports him.
|
be on the dole
|
być na bezrobociu
|
I have been on the dole for the past month, I really need to find a job.
|
be on the right track
|
być na właściwym tropie
|
I feel like I am finally on the right track to achieve what I want.
|
be on top form
|
być w szczytowej formie
|
I am on top form at the moment, so I have chances of winning this time.
|
be oneself again
|
być znowu sobą
|
I have been feeling rather depressed for a while, but now that I found a new and really satisfying job I am myself again.
|
be out of question
|
nie wchodzić w rachubę, być wykluczonym
|
My mum says that it’s out of the question for me to go on holiday on my own as I am only 15.
|
be out of work
|
być bez pracy
|
I have been out of work for 2 months and now I am struggling financially.
|
be par for the course
|
być czymś powszednim/normalnym
|
He said long hours were par for the course.
|
be playing a waiting game
|
grać na czas
|
We have to play a waiting game and hope we’ll manage on time.
|
be quick on the draw
|
szybko zrozumieć o co chodzi, w mig chwytać o co chodzi
|
He was quick on the draw answering the journalist’s questions.
|
be ranked third
|
być sklasyfikowanym na trzecim miejscu
|
I was ranked third after the competition.
|
be right about something
|
mieć rację w jakiejś sprawie
|
You are right about that, thanks for the advice.
|
be second to none
|
nie mieć sobie równych
|
You are second to none when it comes to cooking.
|
be seized with something
|
być ogarniętym czymś (np. strachem)
|
I was suddenly seized with fear of the unknown when I crossed the border.
|
be subject to something
|
podlegać czemuś
|
Everyone in UK is subject to police checks before they can start working with children.
|
be supposed to do something
|
mieć coś zrobić
|
I have to go home to study. I was supposed to start doing my homework at 3 pm. It’s already 5 pm and I still haven’t started.
|
be the opposite of somebody
|
być przeciwieństwem kogoś
|
Although Anne and Laura are twins, they are total opposites of each other. Anne is blond and really quiet while Laura is ginger and always the soul of the party.
|
be up and running
|
działać, być sprawnym
|
We still have a lot of preparations to do, but I hope that the shop will be up and running next week. We are planning to open on Wednesday.
|
be up to one’s ears in work
|
być zagrzebanym w pracy
|
I am up to my ears in work. I have been working all Saturday and Sunday. I have been staying at work long hours and still haven’t managed to cover everything.
|
beat around the bush
|
owijać w bawełnę
|
Stop beating around the bush and tell me whether you want to go on holiday or not. I am tired of waiting for your answer.
|
beat somebody black and blue
|
zbić kogoś na kwaśne jabłko, posiniaczyć
|
I told him not to go there on his own. He got beaten black and blue.
|
beat the breast
|
bić się w piersi
|
He keeps beating his breast and swearing that it’s all true, but I still don’t believe him.
|
because of something
|
z powodu czegoś
|
I was really late today because of terrible traffic in the city centre.
|
become a burden to somebody
|
stać się dla kogoś ciężarem
|
I really need to find a job soon. I graduated 6 months ago and still live with my parents. I really don’t want to become a burden to them.
|
become aware of something
|
uświadomić sobie coś
|
It was only after I moved abroad that I became aware of the fact that Warsaw has a lot to offer.
|
before somebody’s eyes
|
na czyichś oczach
|
We turned around the corner and there was an amazing view before our eyes.
|
behind the scenes
|
za kulisami
|
There are many things going on behind the scenes that we don’t know of.
|
behind the wheel
|
za kierownicą
|
Harry was lucky not to get injured in the accident he caused when he fell asleep behind the wheel.
|
below average
|
poniżej przeciętnej
|
The results of the last exam were below average. I don’t know what happened.
|
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