Baba swoje, dziad swoje.
Listen
What it means
“The woman does her thing, the old man does his.” Neither side gives way. It describes two stubborn people going in circles, each repeating their view without listening to the other.
Vocabulary
- baba — woman (folk/colloquial)
- swoje — one's own thing (accusative of swój)
- dziad — old man (folk term)
Grammar note
Elliptical structure: 'baba [mówi/robi] swoje, dziad [mówi/robi] swoje'. The verb is dropped, which is typical of proverbs.
Cultural context
One of a family of 'baba swoje' proverbs. The chłop, dziad, and czart variants all share the same structure and meaning.
Beginner
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." However kind she may be, a stepmother may …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a short hint to understand. Long …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles, or people in general, often learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will reject it with scorn." Wise people listen to advice, …