Darowanemu koniowi w zęby się nie zagląda
Listen
What it means
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. One should not find fault with something received as a gift.
Vocabulary
- darowany — gifted, given as a gift
- koń — horse
- ząb — tooth
- zaglądać — to look into, to peer
Grammar note
'Darowanemu koniowi' is in the dative. 'Się nie zagląda' is an impersonal reflexive form meaning one does not look.
Cultural context
A horse's teeth show its age and health, so checking a gift horse was seen as ungrateful. It matches the English saying.
Intermediate
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, …