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  What it means

  “What would Adam have done if God had not placed Eve in paradise?” This humorous proverb says that men would be lost without women. More generally, it reminds us that people depend on others more than they like to admit.

  Vocabulary

  • cóż — what (emphatic form of 'co')
  • poradzić — to manage, to cope
  • gdyby — if (conditional)
  • raj — paradise
  • posadzić — to seat, to place

  Grammar note

  'Cóż by poradził' uses the conditional form: 'by' plus the past tense. 'Gdyby... nie posadził' is a past unreal condition meaning 'if God had not placed'.

  Cultural context

  A playful biblical reference common in older Polish folk wisdom.

  Intermediate

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