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  What it means

  Literally “Without work there is no pay.” One of the most famous and widely known Polish proverbs: you only receive what you earn through effort. No work, no reward — there are no shortcuts. It is used to discourage laziness and to remind people that results require genuine effort.

  English equivalent

  No pain, no gain. / No work, no pay.

  Vocabulary

  • bez — without (+ genitive)
  • praca — work, labor
  • pracy — of work (genitive of praca, after bez)
  • płaca — pay, wages
  • płacy — of pay (genitive of płaca, after nie ma)

  Grammar note

  Both bez and nie ma require the genitive case — thus pracy (not praca) and płacy (not płaca). The rhyme of pracy/płacy is the backbone of the proverb and the reason for its memorability. Nie ma + genitive is the standard negated existential construction in Polish.

  Cultural context

  This is one of the first Polish proverbs that learners encounter, often appearing in textbooks. It reflects a strong work-ethic tradition in Polish culture tied to both Catholic values and the historical experience of peasant labor. It is quoted by parents to children, employers to employees, and teachers to students — always earnestly, rarely ironically.

  Beginner

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