Niedaleko jabłko padnie jabłoni, tylko koło niéj
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What it means
“The apple will fall not far from the apple tree, only near it.” An emphatic variant stressing that the apple lands right beside the tree — children stay close to their parents’ nature.
English equivalent
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Vocabulary
- jabłko — apple
- jabłoń — apple tree
- paść — to fall
- koło — near, beside
- niéj — her/it (archaic genitive/locative form)
Grammar note
'Padnie' is the future perfective of 'paść'. 'Koło niéj' means 'near it/her', with 'niéj' being an older genitive form of 'ona/ono'.
Cultural context
The accent mark on 'niéj' reflects an older orthographic convention occasionally preserved in proverb collections.
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