Zabrudzi

Zabrudzić is a Polish verb meaning to dirty, soil, or contaminate something. It can be used literally, for example when a spill stains fabric or a surface, and figuratively, to tarnish or harm a person’s reputation or other non-physical domains. The action is typically described as completed or resulting from a single event, reflecting the verb’s perfective aspect.

Etymology and form: zabrudzić is derived from the base brudzić (to dirty) with the prefix za- and a consonant shift that marks the transition to the perfective. The verb appears in various forms to indicate tense and gender, such as zabrudzę (I will dirty), zabrudzisz (you will dirty), zabrudzi (he/she/it will dirty), and the past tense forms like zabrudził (he dirtied) or zabrudziła (she dirtied). In usage, zabrudzić is transitive and requires a direct object in the accusative case.

Usage and nuance: As a transitive verb, zabrudzić takes concrete objects such as ubranie (clothes), blat (countertop), or stół (table). It is also used figuratively with abstract objects, for example to zabrudzić czyje imię or to tarnish someone’s reputation. The distinction between brudzić (imperfective) and zabrudzić (perfective) is important: the former describes ongoing or repeated dirtying, while the latter marks a completed act.

Examples: Kawa rozlała się i zabrudziła blat. (The coffee spilled and stained the countertop.) Plotka mogła zabrudzić jego reputację. (A rumor could tarnish his reputation.)

See also: brudzić, zabrudzenie, brud.