{"id":1129,"date":"2010-09-09T18:09:36","date_gmt":"2010-09-09T18:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/?p=1129"},"modified":"2010-09-10T05:07:43","modified_gmt":"2010-09-10T05:07:43","slug":"proverbially-polish-przyslowie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/proverbially-polish-przyslowie\/","title":{"rendered":"Proverbially Polish: Przys\u0142owie"},"content":{"rendered":"

When learning any language, it’s often common sayings that stick in your mind. I remember one of the first English sayings I learned in kindergarten was, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” In Polish, this would translate to, “Nie k\u0142ad\u017a w\u00f3z przed koniem.<\/strong>” Yes, I was an impatient child. But this impatience prompted my teacher to use that phrase and it has stuck with me since. These sayings, proverbs,\u00a0 truly helped me learn English.<\/p>\n

Przys\u0142owia<\/strong> also helped me learn the Polish language. Tyle wiedz\u0105 ile zjedz\u0105<\/strong>.\u00a0 Tatu\u015b would always say this when watching the evening news weather forecast. Whether the weather forecast was good or bad, Tatu\u015b would turn his head and shrug, saying \u201cThey know as much as they can eat.\u201d It always struck me as a funny saying when I was a little kid, after all, how did he know how much the meteorologist could eat? Maybe it was a lot.<\/p>\n

Another przys\u0142owie <\/strong>I heard A LOT when I was a kid was “Gdyby k\u00f3zka nie skaka\u0142a, to by n\u00f3zki nie z<\/strong>\u0142<\/strong>ama<\/strong>\u0142<\/strong>a<\/strong>.” If the goat didn’t jump, then she wouldn’t have broken her leg. I think a lot of Polish kids hear this from their parents. But kids will be kids. And after all, “Kto ma pszczo\u0142y ten ma mi\u00f3d, kto ma dzieci ten ma smr\u00f3d<\/strong>.” Those who have bees have honey, those who have kids have stench. Unfortunately, as the Polish saying goes, “Dzieci i ryby g\u0142osu nie maj\u0105.<\/strong>” Kids and fish don’t have a voice.<\/p>\n

With so many things complicating my life,\u00a0 I found myself remembering these simple phrases, these words of wisdom from my Father. And it inspired me to write down those he taught me, a few Mom threw at us as well and some more that I have heard from other Polish friends and family members. Of course, several of these are general in nature, however, others do have some mature tones to them.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pretty certain many of you have heard \u201cI need that like I need a hole in my head.\u201d Well, the Polish take a twist on that proverb; same meaning but rather than a hole in the head it\u2019s a whole in the bridge. \u201cPotrzebny jak dziura w mo\u015bcie.<\/strong>\u201d Literally, Needed like a hole in a bridge. And speaking of bridges, another Polish przyslowie<\/strong> we all know well is, \u201cNigdy nie nale\u017cy pali\u0107 za sob\u0105 wszystkich most\u00f3w.<\/strong>\u201d It\u2019s never necessary to burn bridges behind you, literally, or just don\u2019t burn bridges.<\/p>\n

Here are a few more that I can think of:<\/p>\n