Powiedz cokolwiek.

Powiedz is the 2nd person singular imperative of the verb powiedzieć.

So it is the form you use when telling one person:

• say
• tell
• go ahead and say

The subject you is not stated, because in Polish it is usually understood from the verb form.

This is mainly about aspect.

• powiedzieć is perfective
• mówić is imperfective

In an imperative, powiedz suggests one complete act of saying something:
Say something / Say anything.

By contrast, mów can sound more like:

• speak
• keep talking
• go on, say things

So Powiedz cokolwiek is natural when you want someone to produce at least one utterance. It focuses on the result: just say something at all.

Yes, but that is normal in Polish.

Powiedz already tells you that the speaker is addressing one person informally, so adding ty would usually be unnecessary.

• normal: Powiedz cokolwiek.
• marked/emphatic: Ty powiedz cokolwiek.

Adding ty would usually sound contrastive or emotional, not neutral.

Cokolwiek means anything, whatever, or anything at all, depending on context.

In this sentence it means something like:

• anything
• just anything
• whatever you want

It gives a sense of no restriction: the speaker does not care what is said, as long as something is said.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• coś = something
• cokolwiek = anything / anything at all / whatever

Compare:

• Powiedz coś. = Say something.
• Powiedz cokolwiek. = Say anything.

Cokolwiek is broader and often sounds a bit stronger, as if the speaker is saying:
I don’t care what it is — just say anything.

So if someone is silent and you want any response at all, cokolwiek fits very well.

Here it is the direct object of powiedz, so it is in the accusative.

With cokolwiek, the nominative and accusative forms look the same:

• nominative: cokolwiek
• accusative: cokolwiek

Other cases do change, for example:

• genitive: czegokolwiek
• dative: czemukolwiek
• instrumental: czymkolwiek

So in this sentence, the form is accusative, even though it looks identical to the basic form.

Yes, Polish word order is flexible, but Powiedz cokolwiek is the most natural neutral order here.

This version sounds straightforward and normal.

If you move things around, the emphasis changes. For example:

• Powiedz cokolwiek. = neutral
• Cokolwiek powiedz. = much less natural for this meaning; it can sound literary, marked, or even ambiguous in context

So for a learner, Powiedz cokolwiek is the best standard version to remember.

It is informal singular.

You would use Powiedz cokolwiek to:

• a friend
• a child
• a family member
• someone you address as ty

For a formal situation, Polish usually does not use the plain imperative in the same way. Instead, you would say something like:

• Proszę coś powiedzieć.
• Niech pan powie cokolwiek.
• Niech pani powie cokolwiek.

So the sentence given is definitely the informal singular version.

Yes, it can, depending on tone and situation.

A bare imperative in Polish can sound:

• direct
• impatient
• urgent
• frustrated

So Powiedz cokolwiek. might sound like:

• Come on, say something.
• Just say anything.

If you want to sound softer, you can add something polite or gentler, for example:

• Powiedz coś, proszę.
• Powiedz cokolwiek, proszę.

Tone of voice matters a lot here.

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

PO-vyets tso-KOL-vyek

A few useful details:

• po sounds roughly like po in pork, but shorter
• w in Polish sounds like English v
• final -dz in powiedz is devoiced here, so it sounds close to -ts
• c in Polish sounds like ts
• wie in -wiek sounds roughly like vyek

So the whole sentence is approximately:

PO-vyets tso-KOL-vyek

Not always. Depending on context, powiedzieć can mean:

• to say
• to tell
• to state

In Powiedz cokolwiek, the most natural English translation is Say anything.

But in other sentences, powiedzieć might be translated differently, for example:

• Powiedział mi prawdę. = He told me the truth.
• Powiedziała, że wróci. = She said that she would return.

So the exact English verb depends on context.

Yes, absolutely. It is grammatical and natural.

That said, in everyday speech, many speakers might also say:

• Powiedz coś. = Say something.
• No, powiedz cokolwiek. = Come on, say anything.

The version with cokolwiek feels especially suitable when the speaker means:
literally anything is fine — just don’t stay silent.