Breakdown of U nas mówi się, że imieniny są ważniejsze niż urodziny.
Questions & Answers about U nas mówi się, że imieniny są ważniejsze niż urodziny.
U nas literally means “at us” or “by us”, but that’s not how you would say it in English.
In practice, u nas usually means:
- in our country / in our culture
- in our family / in our house / where I come from
- among us (in our group)
The exact nuance depends on context. In this sentence, u nas probably means “where I’m from / in our culture / in our country”.
Other examples:
- U nas w domu się nie pali. – In our home we don’t smoke.
- U nas w Polsce zimy są mroźne. – In our country (in Poland) winters are cold.
So u nas is a flexible phrase for “in our environment / in our context”, not a direct word‑for‑word equivalent of any one English phrase.
Mówi się is an impersonal construction. It corresponds to English expressions like:
- “it is said (that)”
- “people say (that)”
- “one says (that)”
- “they say (that)”
Polish often prefers this impersonal + się structure instead of naming a subject like ludzie (“people”).
So:
- U nas mówi się, że…
≈ Where I come from, people say that…
≈ Where I come from, it is said that…
You could say U nas ludzie mówią, że…, and it’s grammatically correct, but mówi się sounds more neutral and idiomatic here, and emphasizes a general opinion or common saying rather than specific people speaking.
Się here creates an impersonal / generic construction, not a “true” reflexive like “I wash myself”.
Some uses of się:
- Reflexive:
- Myję się. – I wash (myself).
- Reciprocal:
- Oni się kochają. – They love each other.
- Impersonal / general (like here):
- Mówi się, że… – People say that… / It is said that…
In mówi się, there is no clear subject (“who speaks?”). The phrase just means that in general people say this, and się marks that “generalised” action.
Other similar patterns:
- Mówi się, że będzie padać. – They say it will rain.
- Tu się nie pali. – One doesn’t smoke here / You’re not supposed to smoke here.
- Tak się robi pierogi. – This is how you make pierogi / One makes pierogi like this.
Both imieniny (name day) and urodziny (birthday) are grammatically plural only in Polish.
- imieniny – literally something like “name festivities”, but in practice just “name day”
- urodziny – literally “births” (kind of like “birthday celebrations”), but it means “birthday”
You don’t normally use singular forms like imienina or urodzina in everyday language; they sound wrong or extremely unusual in standard modern Polish.
Examples:
- Moje imieniny są w czerwcu. – My name day is in June.
- Jutro mam urodziny. – It’s my birthday tomorrow.
- Czyje to urodziny? – Whose birthday is it?
So one English “birthday” = Polish urodziny (plural). One English “name day” = Polish imieniny (plural).
Imieniny are name days: each day of the calendar is associated with one or more given names (often from the Catholic saints’ calendar). If your first name appears on that date, that day is your imieniny.
Key points:
- Urodziny = birthday, based on the date you were born.
- Imieniny = name day, based on the date associated with your first name.
Traditionally in Poland (and some other countries), imieniny were often celebrated as much as (or even more than) birthdays, especially among older generations or in more traditional / religious communities. People might:
- visit you or call you,
- give you flowers or small gifts,
- wish you Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji imienin! (“All the best on your name day!”).
In modern Poland, especially among younger people, birthdays (urodziny) have become at least as important, but the sentence reflects the traditional view: “where I come from, name days are considered more important than birthdays.”
The neutral, most natural word order here is:
- że imieniny są ważniejsze niż urodziny
This follows the common pattern:
- [subject] [verb] [complement]
- imieniny (subject) są (verb) ważniejsze niż urodziny (complement).
Polish word order is more flexible than English, so other orders are possible, but they add emphasis or may sound less natural in a simple statement.
For example:
- że są imieniny ważniejsze niż urodziny – possible, but feels marked; it puts a bit more emphasis on imieniny in the middle.
In a normal, neutral statement, the original order is best. Learners are usually safest copying the “subject – verb – rest” pattern unless they specifically want to play with emphasis.
Ważniejsze is the comparative form of the adjective ważny (“important”).
Pattern:
- ważny – important
- ważniejszy / ważniejsza / ważniejsze – more important
The -szy / -sza / -sze ending marks the comparative (“more X”). The form must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes.
- imieniny and urodziny are both plural and grammatically feminine plural in Polish.
- The adjective in the comparative, describing a plural noun, takes the plural form:
- ważniejsze (non‑masculine‑personal plural)
Examples of agreement:
- Ten dzień jest ważniejszy. – This day is more important. (masc. sg.)
- Ta sprawa jest ważniejsza. – This matter is more important. (fem. sg.)
- Te imieniny są ważniejsze. – These name days are more important. (plural)
So ważniejsze is simply the correct plural comparative form matching imieniny.
Both niż and od can be used in comparisons, but they behave slightly differently.
niż – works like “than” before a full phrase or clause:
- Imieniny są ważniejsze niż urodziny. – Name days are more important than birthdays.
- Jest wyższy niż jego brat. – He is taller than his brother.
od – is a preposition (“from/than”) used before a noun or pronoun, often with the genitive:
- Imieniny są ważniejsze od urodzin.
- Jest wyższy od brata.
In this particular sentence, both are grammatically correct:
- Imieniny są ważniejsze niż urodziny.
- Imieniny są ważniejsze od urodzin.
With adjectives in the predicative position (like są ważniejsze), both niż and od are common. Many learners find niż easier because it clearly corresponds to English “than”.
Where niż is more natural is when what follows is a whole clause:
- Lepiej późno, niż wcale. – Better late than never.
- Jest starszy, niż myślałem. – He is older than I thought.
Here you generally wouldn’t use od.
Yes, you can say U nas się mówi, że…, and it is grammatically correct.
Both:
- U nas mówi się, że…
- U nas się mówi, że…
are used in real speech and mean the same: “Where I come from, people say that…”
Subtle difference:
- U nas mówi się, że… – slightly more neutral and common in writing; follows the frequent pattern [verb] + się.
- U nas się mówi, że… – moves się earlier, sometimes to avoid verb clusters or for rhythm. It might feel a bit more colloquial to some ears, but it’s absolutely acceptable.
In this short sentence, both versions are natural. Many grammar books teach the pattern with mówi się (verb + się), so that is a safer default for learners.
Są is the 3rd person plural present tense of być (“to be”):
- oni/one są – they are.
In this sentence:
- imieniny są ważniejsze – name days are more important.
The present tense here expresses a general, timeless fact or opinion, similar to the English simple present (“are”).
You could say:
- Imieniny bywają ważniejsze niż urodziny.
Bywają = “tend to be / are sometimes / can be”.
That would slightly change the meaning to something more like:
- “Name days tend to be more important than birthdays (in some cases / often).”
So:
- są – states a straightforward general rule or typical fact.
- bywają – suggests it’s not always, but often / typically the case.
The original sentence with są presents it as a general accepted truth in that community.