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  What it means

  “On Saint Francis’s day, the wagtail arrives.” The counterpart to the departure proverb ; the wagtail returns in spring around a Saint Francis feast, signalling warmer weather.

  Vocabulary

  • przylatuje — arrives (flying), comes back (of birds)
  • pliszka — wagtail (a small migratory bird)

  Grammar note

  'Przylatuje' is the third-person singular imperfective present used for a recurring seasonal event.

  Cultural context

  The spring return of the wagtail was a joyful sign of warmer weather in Polish folk tradition. There are two Saint Francis feast days (April 2 and October 4), and this proverb likely refers to the spring one.

  Beginner

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