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  What it means

  Literally: “Still water tears away the banks.” Still water that looks calm on the surface can be a powerful current underneath, wearing away river banks over time. Figuratively, it warns that quiet, reserved people should not be underestimated — they are often more determined or dangerous than those who are loud and boastful. Poles use it to describe someone who acts subtly but achieves great results, or to caution against trusting a calm exterior.

  English equivalent

  Still waters run deep.

  Vocabulary

  • cicha — still, quiet, silent (feminine adjective)
  • woda — water (feminine noun)
  • brzegi — banks, shores (plural of brzeg)
  • rwie — tears away, erodes (third person singular of rwać)

  Grammar note

  'Cicha woda' is a nominative noun phrase — feminine adjective agreeing with feminine noun. 'Brzegi' is the accusative plural (direct object of 'rwie'). 'Rwać' is imperfective and in the third person singular present, describing a general, ongoing action.

  Cultural context

  This is one of the most commonly used Polish proverbs and applies to people across all ages and contexts — a quiet student who performs brilliantly, a reserved colleague who outmaneuvers everyone, or a shy person who turns out to have strong convictions. It is neutral in register and widely recognized.

  Intermediate

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