Kto z kim przestaje, takim się staje
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What it means
“Whoever keeps company with someone becomes like them.” You are shaped by the people around you. Choose your companions wisely.
English equivalent
Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are. / Birds of a feather flock together.
Vocabulary
- przestawać z — to associate with, to keep company with
- stawać się — to become
- takim — such, like that (instrumental)
Grammar note
'Takim się staje' — 'takim' is the instrumental of 'taki', required after 'stać się' (to become). The correlative 'kto … takim' mirrors the person described.
Cultural context
One of the most frequently cited Polish proverbs about social influence and peer pressure.
Beginner
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