When learning a foreign language, it is very important not only to know the words and the basics of grammar, but also to be able to apply your knowledge in conversation. Your vocabulary will be much richer if you master not only memorized phrases and words, but also phraseological units, slang or proverbs.
In previous articles, we have already written about and. Knowing them is important not only to enrich your own language, but also to communicate with foreigners. After all, often in a conversation you can hear the use of phraseological units (e.g. Bądź mądry i pisz wiersze) or slang (siema - short for gender. Jak się masz? - how are you?) And then, even knowing the literal translation, you can not understand the essence of what was said. That is why it is important to enrich your knowledge on foreign language and constantly improve them.
This article is about Polish proverbs. Like every nation, the Poles have their own "piggy bank" folk wisdom, phrases with which are still used. A proverb is a short form folk art, the author of proverbs is usually unknown. Often this is a short rhythmic expression that carries some generalized instructive thought or conclusion.
Proverbs usually have a didactic (instructive) bias and carry a certain hidden meaning. moral sense. Very often, proverbs combine metaphors, similes, allegories, and other ways by which, in fact, this instructive meaning is conveyed.
Scientists argue that proverbs are not only instructive sentences. With the help of them, you can learn a lot about the people to whom this proverb belongs, about its mentality and about certain national characteristics. Thus, ethnographers and folklorists are trying to determine the relationship between the content of proverbs and national character; psychologists explore certain features of human thinking in the process of creating proverbs.
People have long loved to use proverbs in appropriate situations, with the help of which it was possible to briefly convey some kind of instructive message. Also in medieval Europe whole collections of proverbs were formed. About three dozen such handwritten collections, compiled in the XIII - early BC, have survived to this day. 15th century Some proverbs even became subjects of paintings by famous Western European artists Pieter Brueghel the Elder and El Greco.
"Flemish Proverbs" Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1559
Based on proverbs, they wrote whole works of art, set theatrical performances and made films. For example, the famous comedy play Ukrainian playwright Mikhail Starytsky "Chasing Two Hares" (1883) or famous novel Panas Mirny "Do oxen roar when the manger is full?" (1875).
The term proverb - "przysłowie" - was introduced into the Polish language by Andrzej Maksymilian Fredro - a philosopher, nobleman, held the positions of Lviv castellan (since 1654), Podolsk voivode (since 1676) and marshal of the Seim of the Commonwealth (since 1652). Fredo used the term "przysłowie" as a translation of the Latin word "proverbium" and in 1658 compiled the collection "Przysłowia mów potocznych".
Andrzej Maximilian Fredo
However, this was not the first Polish collection of proverbs. Forty years earlier than Fredo, in 1618, Salomon Rysiński compiled a collection of Polish proverbs "Proverbiorum Polonicorum", which was compiled in Latin and Polish.
"Proverbiorum Polonicorum" (1618) - the first Polish collection of proverbs
So, as stated English proverb, "a good expression is always appropriate." We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most common proverbs in Polish, which we have divided into separate topics. Therefore, as they say, wind on your mustache :)
A brilliant mind was always appreciated by the people, and stupidity, on the contrary, was cruelly ridiculed. This is what Polish proverbs about wisdom and intelligence usually reflect:
- a co po czyjej wielkości, jak nie ma w głowie mądrości - that there is someone's greatness when there is no mind
- bez ciekawości nie ma mądrości - without interest there is no wisdom
- broda mędrcem nie czyni - a beard does not make a wise man
- co głowa, to rozum - what the head is the mind
- komu Bóg rozumu nie da, kowal mu go nie ukuje - to whom God does not give mind, the blacksmith will not forge him
- kto nie ma w głowie, ten ma w nogach - whoever does not have in his head, has in his legs
- kto z przyrodzenia głupi, i w Paryżu sobie rozumu nie kupi - whoever is stupid from birth will not buy his mind in Paris
- co dwie głowy, to nie jedna - that two heads are not one
- lepiej z mądrym zgubić, niż z głupim znaleźć - it is better to lose with the smart than to find with the stupid
- mądrej głowie dość dwie słowie - two words are enough for a wise head
- mądry Polak po szkodzie - smart Pole after misfortune
- mądry przyjmie radę, głupi nią wzgardzi - the smart one takes advice, the stupid one neglects it
- na mądrej głowie włos się nie trzyma - on smart head hair does not hold
- nie po to głowa, żeby na niej czapkę nosić - not for that head to wear a hat on it
Health is the key to happiness, good luck, and, in fact, life. No wonder the issue of health has long devoted much attention.
- błędy lekarza pokrywa ziemia - the doctor's mistakes are covered by the earth
- skleroza nie choroba, tylko nogi bolą - sclerosis is not a disease, only the legs hurt
- w zdrowym ciele zdrowy duch - healthy mind in a healthy body
Anger has always been perceived negatively. People have long understood that anger only brings harm to a person. This is what Polish proverbs are trying to teach us:
- gniew jest złym doradcą - anger is a bad adviser
- gniew nie ma rozumu - anger has no mind
- gniew piękności szkodzi - anger harms beauty
- praca, gniew, picie najzdrowsze w miarę - work, anger and drink are useful when they have a measure
Love is the most beautiful of all feelings. Love at all times was dedicated to songs, poems, sonnets, including proverbs:
- kiedy miłość szepce, rozum milczeć musi - when love speaks, the mind must be silent
- miłość jest ślepa - love is blind
- miłość miłość rodzi - love begets love
Hope is one of the strongest feelings. Everyone has a different attitude to hope: whom it supports, and someone decides to rely only on their own strength. And here is what Polish proverbs about hope teach:
- kto żyje nadzieją, ten umiera głodem - whoever lives in hope dies of hunger
- nadzieja matką głupich - hope is the mother of fools
- nadzieja karmi, ale nie tuczy - hope feeds, but does not fatten
True sincere friendship is one of the most valuable things in a person's life. Faithful friend appreciated at all times and this is what is conveyed in proverbs:
- najmniejsza przyjaźń nie zawadzi - even the smallest friendship can't hurt
- prawdziwych przyjaciół poznaje się w biedzie - a true friend is known in trouble
- przyjaźń bez zaufania nic nie warta - friendship without trust is worthless
- przyjaźń szczera nie umiera - sincere friendship never dies
Fear is inherent in everyone, because it is one of the main human emotions. And of course, such strong feeling could not fail to convey in proverbs:
- jak trwoga, to do Boga - like anxiety, then to God
- nie taki diabeł straszny, jak go malują - the devil is not as scary as he is painted
- strach ma wielkie oczy - big eyes in fear
"Bread is the head of everything" - that's what he claims famous proverb. Most dedicated to this product folk proverbs, because once it was really difficult to survive without it. Bread has long been considered a measure of the wealth and diligence of a person, which is why this motif is so popular in folk art:
- chleb i woda, nie ma głoda - bread and water - and there is no hunger
- chleb płacze, gdy go darmo jedzą - bread cries when it is eaten for nothing
- chleb w drodze nie cięży - bread on the road does not burden
- chlebem i solą ludzie ludzi niewolą - people enslave people with bread and salt
- dał Pan Bóg zęby, da i chleb - the Lord God gave his teeth, he will also give bread
- dobry chleb, gdy kołacza nie masz - kind and bread if there is no kolach
- do chleba rano wstać trzeba - you have to get up early for bread
- gdzie chleb, tam się zęby znajdą - where there is bread, there are teeth
- głodnemu chleb na myśli - bread in the head of the hungry
- kto chleba nie chce, nie godzien kołacza - who does not want bread is not worthy of a kolach
- kto nie chciał pracować na chleb, to musi za chleb - whoever did not want to work for bread must work for bread
- kto się wstydzi pracy, niewart chleba i kołaczy - whoever is shy of work deserves neither bread nor kolach
- nie samym chlebem człowiek żyje - man does not live by bread alone
- szkoda psu białego chleba - sorry for the dog white bread
- zjedzony chleb bardzo ciężko odrabiać - eaten bread is hard to work off
- złemu wrogowi daj chleba i soli - give the enemy bread and salt
A hardworking person has always been respected. Any useful work at all times it was considered honorable, and the person who performed it was worthy of a reward. This is reflected in proverbs about work:
- bez pracy nie ma kołaczy - without difficulty there is no kolach
- Bóg bez pracy nic nie daje - God gives nothing without labor
- cudza praca nie wzbogaca - someone else's work does not enrich
- jaka praca, taka płaca - what is the work, such is the pay
- każda praca ma zapłatę - each work has its own payment
- kto ma ręce do pracy, ten się naje kołaczy - whoever has hands to work, he will eat enough bread
- kto nie chce pracy znieść, ten nie ma co jeść - who does not want to work, then he has nothing to eat
- praca dobrowolna większą ma wartość, jak przymuszona - voluntary labor is more valuable than forced labor
- praca lat skraca - work shortens life
- praca wzbogaca - work enriches
- żadna praca nie hańbi - no work dishonors
People have long known that sometimes it is more difficult to hurt with a word than with a weapon, and sometimes, on the contrary, with the help of a word, dispel longing and anxiety. That is why there are many proverbs that teach us to think well about what you want to say:
- bezpieczniej jest milczeć niż mówić - it is safer to remain silent than to speak
- dlatego dwie uszy, jeden język dano, iżby mniej mówiono, a więcej słuchano - for that two ears and one tongue are given to speak less and listen more
- kto nie umie milczeć, nie umie też mówić - whoever does not know how to be silent does not know how to listen
- mowa jest srebrem, a milczenie złotem - the word is silver, and silence is gold
- mów ostatni, milcz pierwszy - speak last, think first
- nie mów hop, póki nie przeskoczysz - don't say "hop" until you jump over
- nie mów nikomu, co się dzieje w domu - do not tell anyone what is happening in the house
- nigdy nie mów "nigdy" - never say "never"
- nie mów, co myślisz - myśl, co mówisz - don't say what you think - think what you say
What other topics can be so eternal as the question of youth and old age; How are the conflicts between the older and younger generations? Life is fleeting and youth is replaced by old age, and emotionality is replaced by experience. What do the proverbs say about this?
- czego Jaś się nie nauczy, tego Jan nie będzie umiał - what Vanya does not learn, that Ivan will not be able to
- młodość leniwa, starość płaczliwa - lazy youth, whining old age
- młodość płynie jako woda - youth disappears like water
- młody może umrzeć, a stary musi - the young may die, but the old must
- młodym będąc, pomnij, że starym zostaniesz - being young, remember that you will become old
- starość nie radość, śmierć nie wesele - old age is not joy, death is not fun
- w starym piecu diabeł pali - the devil smokes in the old stove
- stara miłość nie rdzewieje - old love does not rust
- dwie rzeczy nie do rzeczy: młodego o radę pytać, a starego o krótką odpowiedź - two things are out of place: ask the young for advice, and the old for a short story
Life and death seem eternal themes, which are pondered not only by sages and philosophers, but by ordinary people, whose thoughts are subsequently transformed into proverbs:
- przez życie, jak przez błoto, idzie się z trudem - life is like a swamp - it's hard to go
- na słońce i na śmierć nigdy wprost patrzeć nie można - you just cannot look at the sun and death
- przyjdzie kryska na Matyska - a mouse will come to Matishka
- śmierć tak dobrego jak złego jedną drogą żenie - death of both good and bad, drives one way
Sometimes with humor, sometimes with irony, and sometimes with sadness in general - this is how proverbs convey to us the life of ordinary people, their everyday chores and joys, their dreams and sorrows.
- baba z wozu, koniom lżej - a woman with a cart - it's easier for horses
- nie miała baba kłopotu, kupiła sobie prosiaka - there was no sadness, the woman bought herself a pig
- kiedy chłop ma dużo dzieci, to on bogaty; kiedy pan ma dużo dzieci, to on biedny - when a man has many children, he is rich; when a master has many children, he is poor
- człowiek całe życie się uczy i głupim umiera - a person studies all his life and dies stupidly
- jak się człowiek spieszy to się diabeł cieszy - when a person is in a hurry, the devil rejoices
- na błędach człowiek się uczy rozumu - a person learns from mistakes
- baba o szydle, dziad o mydle - baba about awl, grandfather about soap
- bieda z dziećmi, bieda i bez dzieci - trouble with children, trouble without children
- dzieci i ryby głosu nie mają - children and fish do not have a voice
55 Polish proverbs
1. Alcohol pity w miarę nie szkodzi nawet w dużych ilościach. - Alcohol in small doses is harmless in any quantities.
2. Baba z wozu - koniom lżej. - A woman with a cart is easier for a mare.
3. Bez ochoty niespore roboty. You can't even pull a fish out of a pond without effort.
4. Bity się kija boi. - a frightened crow is afraid of a bush.
5. Bog bierze, Bog daje. God gave, God took.
6. Broda nikogo mędrcem nie czyni. “A beard is not a sign of wisdom.
7. Brylant potrzebuje odpowiedniej oprawy. - A good diamond is worth an expensive setting.
8. Chcąc człowieka dobrze poznać, trzeba z nim beczkę soli zjeść. - To recognize a person - to eat a pound of salt with him.
9. Cicha woda brzegi rwie. - There are devils in the still waters.
10. Czyj chleb jesz, temu kadż. - Whom I serve, I dance.
11. Czyja siła, tego prawda. - Who is stronger, the more right.
12. Co za dużo, to niezdrowo.- Know the measure in everything.
13. Czego oczy nie widzą, tego sercu nie żal. - Out of sight, out of mind.
14. Czym chata bogata, tym gościowi rada. - The richer, the more happy.
15. Dobrymi chęciami piekło jest wybrukowane. - The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
16. Drzewo oceniaj podług plonów, a człowieka - podług pracy. See the tree in its fruits, and the man in his deeds.
17. Dwa razy nie może nikt, raz musi umrzeć każdy. - Two deaths cannot happen, but one cannot be avoided.
18. Jeden przy pługu, a siedmioro z łyżką. - One with a bipod, and seven with a spoon.
19. Jeżeli każdy w wiosce ofiaruje jedną nitkę, to nagi otrzyma koszulę. - with the world on a thread - a naked shirt.
20. Język i do Kijowa doprowadzi. - Language will bring to Kyiv.
21. Gdzie cienko, tam się zwie. - Where it is thin, it breaks there.
22. Gdzie dwóch się bije, tam trzeci korzysta. - Two dogs are fighting - don't get in the third one!
23. Gora z górą się nie zejdzie, ale człowiek z człowiekiem zawsze. “Mountain does not converge with mountain, but man will converge with man.
24. Grosz do grosza, a będzie kokosza. - A penny saves a ruble.
25. I na slońcu są plamy. And there are spots on the sun.
26. Indyk myślał o niedzieli, a w sobotę łeb mu ścięli. - The turkey thought it got into the soup.
27. Jak się ożeni, to się odmieni. - Marry - go crazy.
28. Jak sobie pościelesz, tak się wyśpisz. - As you lay down, so you sleep.
29. Każda droga prowadzi do Rzymu. - All roads lead to Rome.
30. Każdy jest kowalem swojego losu. - Each blacksmith of his own happiness.
31. Każdy na swój sposób rozum traci. Everyone goes crazy in their own way.
32. Kiedy wejdziesz między wrony, musisz krakać tak jak one. - To live with wolves - howl like a wolf.
33. Kto nie ma szczęścia w kartach, ten ma szczęście w miłości. - Unlucky in cards, lucky in love.
34. Kto się kładzie z psami, ten wstaje z pchłami. - With whom you lead, from that you will type.
35. Lepiej umrzeć stojąc, niż żyć na kolanach. Better to die standing than to live on your knees.
36. Lepsze sto druhów niżli sto rubli w kalecie. - Do not have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends.
37. Lepiej późno, niż nigdy. - Better late than never.
38. Małe dzieci - mały kłopot, duże dzieci - duży kłopot. - Little children, little problems big kids- big problems.
39. Miłość mężczyźnie wychodzi przez oczy, a kobiecie przez uszy. Men love with their eyes, women love with their ears.
40. Myszy tańcują, gdy kota nie czują. - The cat from the house - the mice dance.
41. Nie chwal dnia przed zachodem slońca. - Praise the day in the evening.
42. Nie od razu Kraków zbudowano. - Moscow was not built in a day.
43. Nie taki diabeł straszny,jak go malują. - The devil is not as scary as he is painted.
44. Nie wsadzaj nosa do cudzego prosa. - Sweep in front of your porch.
45. Od wódki rozum krotki. - From vodka the mind is short.
46. Prochu nie wymyśli. - He does not invent gunpowder.
47. Pokorne cielę dwie matki ssie. - An affectionate calf sucks two queens.
48. Prawdziwych przyjaciół poznaje się w biedzie. - Friend is known in trouble.
49. Robota nie zając, w las nie ucieknie. - Work is not a wolf, it will not run away into the forest.
50. Strzeżonego Pan Bog strzeże. - God saves the safe.
51. Syty głodnemu nie uwierzy. - A well-fed is not a friend to the hungry.
52. Szewc bez butów chodzi. - Shoemaker without shoes.
53. Ten się śmieje, kto się śmieje ostatni. The one who laughs last laughs.
54. W zdrowym ciele zdrowy duch. - In a healthy body healthy mind.
55. Wszędzie dobrze, ale w domu najlepiej. - Being a guest is good, but being at home is better.
Translation by Tatyana Schneider
