Śpiesz się powoli! 

English Phonemes: “shpyeh[sz] shyeh poh-VOH-lee”

Literal Translation: You hurry self slowly!

Elegant Translation: Hurry up slowly!

English Equivalent: Haste makes waste!

This phrase is a fun and glib way to tell someone to hurry responsibly! If you rush through a task too swiftly, you’re liable to miss something important. We have similar wisdom in the English saying “haste makes waste”, although in Polish, we subconsciously acknowledge that the need to hurry exists, it’s just that we want to do it responsibly. 

The voice of this phrase is informal, but because it’s such an idiom in Polish, you can absolutely use it in formal settings, too!

Śpiesz = you [s.] hurry [2nd person, informal]
Się = self [reflective helper word, bounces back at subject]
Powoli = slowly [adv.] 

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