Gdyby babcia miała wąsy, toby była dziadkiem
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What it means
“If grandma had a moustache, she’d be grandpa.” Used to dismiss pointless hypotheticals ; speculating about impossible or irrelevant ‘what ifs’ is a waste of time.
English equivalent
If my aunt had wheels, she'd be a bicycle.
Vocabulary
- babcia — grandma
- wąsy — moustache
- dziadek — grandpa
Grammar note
Classic conditional with 'gdyby' + past tense and 'toby' + conditional. 'Była' agrees with 'babcia' (feminine), while 'dziadkiem' is the instrumental of 'dziadek'.
Cultural context
One of the most commonly cited Polish proverbs, often used humorously to shut down unrealistic speculation.
Beginner
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