• Listen

  What it means

  Even the best craftspeople or the finest place cannot make something good from poor raw material. The quality of the result depends on the quality of what you start with.

  English equivalent

  You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

  Vocabulary

  • Paryż — Paris
  • gówno — shit (vulgar)
  • ryż — rice

  Grammar note

  'Nie' comes before the verb to make it negative. 'Z gówna' is genitive after 'zrobić z', meaning 'to make from.'

  Cultural context

  Paris stands for sophistication and high quality. The vulgar word makes the point blunt and easy to remember.

  Intermediate

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