Gdy się człowiek spieszy, to się diabeł cieszy
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What it means
Literally “when a person hurries, the devil rejoices.” Means that rushing leads to mistakes and bad outcomes — haste makes waste. A warning to slow down and do things properly.
Vocabulary
- spieszyć się — to hurry, to rush
- diabeł — devil
- cieszyć się — to be glad, to rejoice
Grammar note
Both clauses use reflexive verbs with 'się'. The structure 'gdy... to...' is a classic conditional/temporal pattern in Polish proverbs.
Cultural context
One of the most commonly quoted Polish sayings — you'll hear it any time someone makes a mistake while rushing.
Beginner
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