Polish · The Terraces
Polska, gola!
POL-skah GOH-lah · /ˈpɔl.ska ˈɡɔ.la/
Come on Poland, score! — the national team's simplest chant.
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Poland, [score a] goal!"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The whole nation's two-word tactical instruction to its football team, chanted at every international from living rooms and fan zones alike — usually with more hope than evidence. Grandma-safe 1 and the safest possible way to join in. The melancholy twin genre is complaining afterwards: "grali jak zwykle" (they played like they always do) carries decades of lovingly nursed national football disappointment. Join both rituals and you'll be handed a scarf.
Heard in the wild
Ostatnie minuty meczu — Polska, gola!
Last minutes of the match — come on Poland, score!
Where it lands
Poland (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Polska, gola!" mean?
- In Polish, "Polska, gola!" means "Come on Poland, score! — the national team's simplest chant.". Literally it's "Poland, [score a] goal!". The whole nation's two-word tactical instruction to its football team, chanted at every international from living rooms and fan zones alike — usually with more hope than evidence. Grandma-safe 1 and the safest possible way to join in. The melancholy twin genre is complaining afterwards: "grali jak zwykle" (they played like they always do) carries decades of lovingly nursed national football disappointment. Join both rituals and you'll be handed a scarf.
- Is "Polska, gola!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Polska, gola!"?
- Say it "POL-skah GOH-lah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈpɔl.ska ˈɡɔ.la.
Related in Polish
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Hell yes".
- French Ça déchire ! That rocks! / That's awesome!
- German Geil! Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes!
- Greek ώπα Oops! / Hey, watch it! / Let's go! — NOT mainly the plate-smashing tourist cheer.
- Italian Grande! Nice one! / You legend! / Way to go!
- Japanese やった Yes! / I did it! / We won!
- Korean 아싸! Yes! / score! — the fist-pump syllables.
- Portuguese Que massa! How cool! / Awesome!
- Russian Офигенно! Freaking awesome! / Amazing!
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