Kto przyjdzie między wrony, musi krakać jako ony
Listen
What it means
“Whoever comes among crows must caw like them.” When you join a group, you must conform to its customs and behaviour. Adapt or be excluded.
English equivalent
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Vocabulary
- wrona — crow
- krakać — to caw (sound a crow makes)
- ony — they (archaic/dialectal form of 'oni/one')
Grammar note
'Między wrony' uses the accusative after 'między' (movement towards). 'Jako' is an archaic/literary equivalent of 'jak' (as, like).
Cultural context
'Ony' is an archaic pronoun form, giving the proverb an old-fashioned flavour.
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, …