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What does “pasuje mi” mean in Polish?

Pasować is the verb Polish reaches for whenever things match: clothes fit (te spodnie pasują), colors go together, a meeting time works — pasuje mi, “works for me.” In this guessing game, a mom decides which names “fit” strangers' faces: pasuje mi tu imię Krystian — “the name Krystian fits here.” One verb covering fit, suit, and match — with the experiencer in the dative (mi).

Borrowed long ago from German passen, pasować is now everywhere in scheduling Polish: Pasuje ci piątek? — “Does Friday work for you?” — answered with a simple Pasuje! (“Works!”) or Nie pasuje mi (“Can’t make it”). The mom’s other gem is przypominać: on mi przypomina jakiegoś aktora — “he reminds me of some actor” — the remind-me verb that also runs on the dative.