Gdy rodzina żyje w zgodzie, to jej bieda nie dobodzie
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What it means
“When a family lives in harmony, poverty will not reach it.” A united family can withstand hardship; discord weakens a household and makes it vulnerable to misfortune.
English equivalent
United we stand, divided we fall.
Vocabulary
- żyć — to live
- zgoda — harmony, agreement
- bieda — poverty, misery
- dobodzić — to reach, to get to (dialectal/archaic)
Grammar note
'W zgodzie' is the locative of 'zgoda'. 'Nie dobodzie' is a negated perfective future ; the poverty will not manage to reach them.
Cultural context
This proverb reflects the importance of family solidarity in Polish rural tradition, where collective effort was essential for survival.
Intermediate
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