# Potrzebuję normalnego życia



## Phillio1972

HI

 I wondered if someone could help. I have a Polish girlfriend and she sent me a note in English / Polish..... Know it's about what she needs to be happy in life but I am not sure on the exact translation or meaning....?

"Potrzebuje normalnego zycia i juz prawdopodobnie z daleka od ludzi w kwiecie wieku 100 lat... "

Thanks in advance


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## ryba

Hello, Phillio!





Phillio1972 said:


> "Potrzebuję normalnego życia
> i już prawdopodobnie z daleka od ludzi
> w kwiecie wieku 100 lat... "



I need a normal life
and already probably far from people
in the prime of life (at the age of) 100 years...

That's the literal translation.
And yes, in Polish this sentence doesn't sound very good either (just my opinion).

Hope that helps.
Cheers.


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## elroy

ryba said:


> I need a normal life
> and already probably far from people
> in prime of life (at the age of) 100 years...


 Ryba, this translation doesn't make sense in English (except for "I need a normal life" ).

I was going to try a translation myself, but I couldn't come up with anything that made sense in English, even though I could understand the individual Polish words. I thought perhaps there was some idiomatic expression or something that I was unfamiliar with, and figured a native would soon come along and make things clearer. But your translation is, as you said, very literal, so much so that, as I said, it doesn't make any sense in English.

I don't know if that's because the original Polish is equally unclear or because you couldn't properly convey the meaning in English. If it's the latter, perhaps you could explain the sentence in your own words and we can work together to come up with a meaningful, idiomatic English translation.

Let me share some specific parts of the sentence that I find confusing:

*I don't understand the "i." I would have expected it to be followed by another noun in the genitive or an equivalent (i.e. something like "normalnego życia"), but what we have is "już prawdopodobnie...."  Which brings me to my second point:

*"Already probably" sounds really bad in English. Does "już prawdopodobnie" sound good in Polish? If so, what does it mean?

*Are you sure that "w kwiecie wieku" ("in *the* prime of life" in English) refers to 100-year-olds?  Am I missing something?

I hope you don't mind my being so critical, but I really can't make heads or tails out of this sentence!


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## .Jordi.

elroy said:


> *I don't understand the "i." I would have expected it to be followed by another noun in the genitive or an equivalent (i.e. something like "normalnego życia"), but what we have is "już prawdopodobnie...."



i już prawdopodobnie z dala od ludzi - which would be away from the people. Does it make sense now? It's really difficult to translate it literally. She wants to say that she will find her future normal life, but she will find it away from these old people.



> *"Already probably" sounds really bad in English. Does "już prawdopodobnie" sound good in Polish? If so, what does it mean?


It does mean ,,already probably". But if it sounds so bad, I've no idea how could it be translated. 

On już prawdopodobnie sobie pójdzie, zanim tam dojedziemy.
He will probably have gone, before we arrive there. (I know that my english is really trashy, but hope you could managed to understand the idea of this ,,już prawdopodobnie").



> *Are you sure that "w kwiecie wieku" ("in *the* prime of life" in English) refers to 100-year-olds?  Am I missing something?


 In this sentence it does. At first sight I didn't find anything unnatural in ,,w kwiecie wieku" with 100-year-olds, but when think about it, i must say that more apropiated would be ,,w jesieni życia". But still it doesn't sound strange to me. But I don't know why, hmm, maybe it's because you can be ,,w kwiecie wieku" at any age...

Cheers,

- J


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## BezierCurve

I'd say what we have here is just a personal way of expressing feelings and thoughts (by Phillio1972's girlfriend). Since it's a very personal matter and it was not written to be read in public (!) I wouldn't be bothered too much by its being correct or not... 



> *I don't understand the "i." I would have expected it to be followed by another noun in the genitive or an equivalent (i.e. something like "normalnego życia"), but what we have is "już prawdopodobnie...."  Which brings me to my second point:
> *"Already probably" sounds really bad in English. Does "już prawdopodobnie" sound good in Polish? If so, what does it mean?


 
I'd translate it more like:

*"At this point* I probably need a normal life"



> *Are you sure that "w kwiecie wieku" ("in *the* prime of life" in English) refers to 100-year-olds?  Am I missing something?


 
Now, that's an obvious contradiction, but (to me) it is just a way of saying, that:

1) either she feels old and tired in spite of being (chronologically) young
2) or she will have to wait till she's 100 to get to what she needs.

The 1) option sounds more convincing to me.

All the best!


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## ryba

elroy said:


> I don't know if that's because the original Polish is equally unclear or because you couldn't properly convey the meaning in English. If it's the latter, perhaps you could explain the sentence in your own words and we can work together to come up with a meaningful, idiomatic English translation.


 
Both things. I don't understand what the girl really wanted to say. I translated it literally in order to keep to the style of the original sentence. Trying to explain the meaning involves the risk of misinterpretation(s).

Anyway, I'm going to try explaining it in my own words. Any correction is welcome.



Phillio1972 said:


> "Potrzebuję normalnego życia
> i już prawdopodobnie z daleka od ludzi
> w kwiecie wieku 100 lat... "



I need a normal life and when I am 100, in the prime of life that is, I will probably need to live away from people.

This is *my* interpretation. But now, having read .Jordi.'s and BezierCurve's opinions... well, it is like a poem. A free verse.  Phillio1972, I'm afraid you'll have to ask your girlfriend to reformulate her sentence.


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## ryba

It has just occurred to me I might have made a wrong logical division of the sentence and it should be:





Phillio1972 said:


> "Potrzebuję normalnego życia
> i już prawdopodobnie z daleka od ludzi w kwiecie wieku 100 lat... "


--> I need a normal life and, from now on (2), I would rather (3) live away from those old people (1).

Then:

1) *W kwiecie wieku* (=in the prime of life) is used with *100 lat* as a paradox referring in an euphemistic way to the old. Hundred-year-olds are not in the prime of life. Hence the "... " part. The elderly people Phillio1972's girlfriend is talking about probably aren't that old. Thus, it would be another figure of speech, a hyperbole (exaggeration). "W kwiecie wieku 100 lat" isn't correct gramatically to the point that I have no idea how to put it into standard Polish. Maybe, "w kwiecie wieku, w wieku stu lat" would be an option.

2) *I już* stands for *i teraz już* meaning (approximately) 'from now on' and being an equivalent of the Spanish "y ahora ya".*

3) *Prawdopodobnie* doesn't sound good in here but by the context you can deduce it is used in order to attenuate the statement that follows.

* Elroy, I saw in your profile that you're learning Spanish.


An attempt to reformulate the sentence:

_Potrzebuję normalnego życia, teraz już raczej z dala od tych "w kwiecie wieku"._

Using the " " would indicate sarcasm/irony and replace the "100 lat... " part.

_Raczej_ would attenuate.

PS: I know, my English is a disaster. You can correct it if you feel like.


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## .Jordi.

It's increíble how one short message could give such a different interpretations. I confess, that having read it for the first time, I thought that this girl must be working in some kind of geratric house and that she's so sick of her work with older people that she can't imagine herself doing it in the future. Anyway, just like said Ryba, it's like a free vers from a poem.


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## slavian1

.Jordi. said:


> It's increíble how one short message could give such a different interpretations. I confess, that having read it for the first time, I thought that this girl must be working in some kind of geratric house and that she's so sick of her work with older people that she can't imagine herself doing it in the future. Anyway, just like said Ryba, it's like a free vers from a poem.


 
My understanding of the sentence was exactly like yours. I personally think, that the girl is sick and tired of taking care of those old falks. 
Furthermore it has nothing in common with the poetry, as Ryba sugested. For me, the utterance conveys a sarcastic meaning. But of course it is just my interpretation.


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## ryba

Hi, Slavian1!





slavian1 said:


> My understanding of the sentence was exactly like yours. I personally think, that the girl is sick and tired of taking care of those old f*o*lks.


I wouldn't specify who the old people are and what she's doing with them. They might be simply parents as well and then "100 lat" would be a hyperbole. I don't feel qualified to say who the elderly are in this particular sentence, it is not my business. I guess Phillio1972 will understand it by context as he knows the situation.


slavian1 said:


> Furthermore it has nothing in common with the poetry, as Ryba sugested. For me, *the utterance* conveys a sarcastic meaning. But of course it is just my interpretation.


 If with *utterance* you refer to what the girl said, then:

If you take a look at the post #*7*  (especifically at the  "1) *W kwiecie wieku*" part) you'll see this is also my impression.

 If with *utterance* you refer to what *I* said, then:

I compared it to poetry referring to the figures of speech (_tropy poetyckie_) that were used (like grammatical inversions, paradoxes, hyperboles, euphemisms) and to the liberty of interpretation they generate.

Pozdrawiam.


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## s0ber

Polish is my native language and I'll tell you something. This sentence doesn't make any sense even in Polish. If she had written: "Potrzebuję normalnego życia, z daleka od ludzi" (I need [want, am looking for] normal [quiet] life, far away from the people [problems, daily hubbub]), it would've been enough, because: "W kwiecie wieku 100 lat" - sounds totally incorrect and I even won't try to translate it.

Feel free to correct all mistakes I made. I'm still learning.


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## ryba

Cześć, S0ber! Witaj na forum.


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## elroy

Well, I guess I better keep quiet (for now, anyway) if even the natives don't seem to be 100% sure of the meaning of the sentence. 

I'll certainly keep following the discussion, though, with the hopes that the meaning will become clear (Phillio1972, where are you?  Do you have any clues for us? ).


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## kropla

Maybe that "W kwiecie wieku 100 lat" is something like birthsday greetings?


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