Cóż święty Józef zniesie? Kaczka pierwsze jaja zniesie
Listen
What it means
What will Saint Joseph bring? The duck will lay its first eggs — a weather proverb tied to Saint Joseph’s Day (19 March), predicting the arrival of spring.
Vocabulary
- znieść — to bear, to endure; also to lay (eggs)
- święty Józef — Saint Joseph
- kaczka — duck
- jaja — eggs
Grammar note
Wordplay on 'znieść': 'co zniesie' means both 'what will he endure/bring' and 'what will she lay'. The double meaning drives the humour.
Cultural context
Saint Joseph's Day (19 March) is a traditional marker of early spring in the Polish folk calendar.
Advanced
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." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …