Poprawa

Poprawa is a Polish noun feminine that denotes improvement, correction, or amendment. It refers to the process of making something better or to the act of correcting faults. The word derives from the verb poprawić, with the prefix po- and the root popraw-, and it is used across various registers, from everyday speech to formal discourse.

Common uses include describing positive changes in quality, condition, or situation, for example poprawa jakości (improvement of quality), poprawa stanu zdrowia (improvement of health), or poprawa sytuacji (improvement of the situation). It can also refer to correcting mistakes, as in poprawa błędów w tekście (correction of errors in a text). In education, poprawa can denote a retake of an exam or assignment intended to raise a grade; the related noun poprawka means a correction or amendment, and phrases like zrobić poprawę mean to take a retake.

In administrative, policy, and business contexts, poprawa often describes corrective measures or efforts to increase efficiency and effectiveness, for example poprawa jakości usług or poprawa wydajności. In editing and publishing, korekta is more common for a line-by-line correction, while poprawa emphasizes overall improvement.

Related terms include ulepszenie (enhancement), korekta (correction), naprawa (repair), and poprawny (correct). Poprawa remains a versatile term in Polish, applicable to technical, professional, and everyday language as a broad notion of making something better or correcting it.