• Listen

  What it means

  Literally: “Words are empty to a deaf person.” Advice and arguments are useless when someone refuses to listen. The saying is about being closed to reason, not necessarily about hearing loss.

  English equivalent

  There's none so deaf as those who will not hear. / It falls on deaf ears.

  Vocabulary

  • głuchy — deaf (adjective/noun)
  • głuchemu — for a deaf person (dative of głuchy)
  • próżny — empty, vain, futile
  • próżne — empty/vain (neuter plural, agreeing with słowa)
  • słowa — words (nominative plural of słowo)

  Grammar note

  'Głuchemu' is dative singular of 'głuchy' used as a noun, meaning 'for a deaf person'. 'Próżne' is neuter plural and agrees with 'słowa'. The proverb has no verb, which is common in short Polish sayings.

  Cultural context

  People use it when someone will not listen to advice. Its tone is usually resigned, not angry. In older Polish, 'głuchy' could also mean heedless or indifferent, so the saying has long had a figurative use.

  Intermediate

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