Significado
Something that seems suspicious because it is too perfect.
Contexto cultural
Poles are culturally predisposed to skepticism due to historical scams and political changes. Using this phrase shows you are not 'naiwny' (naive). While Americans use 'Too good to be true', they are often perceived by Poles as more optimistic. A Pole might use this phrase more quickly than an American in a business context. In the age of 'fake news' and phishing, this phrase has seen a resurgence among young Poles on social media platforms like TikTok and X. In Polish business culture, 'chłodny profesjonalizm' (cool professionalism) involves questioning high-yield, low-risk investments using this idiom.
Use 'Brzmi'
Adding 'To brzmi...' (It sounds...) makes you sound more like a native speaker when reacting to news.
Gender Agreement
Always check if you are talking about a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun. This is the #1 mistake.
Significado
Something that seems suspicious because it is too perfect.
Use 'Brzmi'
Adding 'To brzmi...' (It sounds...) makes you sound more like a native speaker when reacting to news.
Gender Agreement
Always check if you are talking about a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun. This is the #1 mistake.
Don't be too cynical
While skepticism is valued, using this for every piece of good news can make you seem pessimistic.
Teste-se
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'być' and the adjective 'prawdziwy'.
Ta oferta pracy jest zbyt piękna, by _______ _______.
The subject is 'oferta' (feminine), so we need 'była' and 'prawdziwa'.
Which sentence is the most natural reaction to a scam email?
Dostałeś e-mail: 'Wygrałeś milion dolarów!'. Co mówisz?
This is the standard idiomatic response to an unbelievable offer.
Match the subject to the correct form of the phrase.
1. On (He), 2. To (It), 3. Ona (She)
Gender agreement is key: Masculine (był prawdziwy), Neuter (było prawdziwe), Feminine (była prawdziwa).
Complete the dialogue with the missing word.
A: Ten samochód kosztuje tylko 500 złotych! B: Nie wierz w to. To brzmi zbyt ______, by było prawdziwe.
When using the verb 'brzmi' (sounds), we use the adverb 'pięknie'.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Recursos visuais
Gender Agreement
Banco de exercicios
4 exerciciosTa oferta pracy jest zbyt piękna, by _______ _______.
The subject is 'oferta' (feminine), so we need 'była' and 'prawdziwa'.
Dostałeś e-mail: 'Wygrałeś milion dolarów!'. Co mówisz?
This is the standard idiomatic response to an unbelievable offer.
1. On (He), 2. To (It), 3. Ona (She)
Gender agreement is key: Masculine (był prawdziwy), Neuter (było prawdziwe), Feminine (była prawdziwa).
A: Ten samochód kosztuje tylko 500 złotych! B: Nie wierz w to. To brzmi zbyt ______, by było prawdziwe.
When using the verb 'brzmi' (sounds), we use the adverb 'pięknie'.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Perguntas frequentes
10 perguntasYes, 'zbyt piękne, żeby było prawdziwe' is perfectly correct and very common in spoken Polish.
It is neutral. You can use it with friends, but also in a professional meeting to express caution.
Both work, but 'piękny' is more idiomatic and emphasizes the 'too perfect' nature of the thing.
A 'haczyk' is a 'catch' or a 'hook'. It's the hidden problem in something that seems too good.
Yes, if someone seems too perfect to be real, you can say 'On/Ona jest zbyt piękny/a, by był/a prawdziwy/a'.
It is 'by był'. The 'by' already carries the conditional meaning, so you don't need 'by' twice.
You can just say 'Podejrzane!' (Suspicious!) or 'Zbyt piękne!'
Yes, Russian has 'слишком хорошо, чтобы быть правдой', which is very similar.
Yes, but it's literal then. 'Ten widok jest zbyt piękny, by był prawdziwy' means it looks like a painting.
In this idiom, yes. 'Zbyt' is the standard choice for the 'too... to be...' structure.
Frases relacionadas
brzmi zbyt dobrze
similarSounds too good
darowanemu koniowi w zęby się nie zagląda
contrastDon't look a gift horse in the mouth
mieć haczyk
builds onTo have a catch
obiecywać złote góry
similarTo promise mountains of gold
