• Listen

  What it means

  “To fish before the net.” It means acting too early, before the right tools or conditions are ready. It is close to “counting your chickens before they hatch” or “jumping the gun.”

  English equivalent

  Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

  Vocabulary

  • łowić — to catch, to fish
  • ryby — fish (plural accusative)
  • niewód — dragnet, fishing net

  Grammar note

  'Przed niewodem' uses the instrumental case after 'przed' (before, in front of).

  Cultural context

  A niewód is a large traditional net pulled through water. Fishing before it is in the water makes no sense.

  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!