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  What it means

  “A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter.” However kind she may be, a stepmother may not be accepted as a real mother. The proverb shows an old folk distrust of stepmothers and the special place of a child’s mother.

  Vocabulary

  • macocha — stepmother
  • choćby — even if, even though
  • cukier — sugar
  • gorzki — bitter

  Grammar note

  'Choćby z cukru' uses the genitive after 'z' and means 'made of sugar'. 'Gorzka' is a feminine adjective that agrees with 'macocha'.

  Cultural context

  Stepmothers often appear in Polish folk tales and proverbs as suspicious figures. This reflects old worries about stepfamilies.

  Intermediate

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