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  What it means

  Literally “misfortunes walk in pairs.” The proverb expresses the common experience that bad luck rarely comes alone — when one thing goes wrong, another setback tends to follow quickly. It is used to commiserate with someone who has suffered multiple blows in a short time, or as a wry observation when a second misfortune compounds the first. The tone is sympathetic and resigned.

  English equivalent

  When it rains, it pours. / Misfortunes never come singly.

  Vocabulary

  • nieszczęścia — misfortunes (nominative plural of nieszczęście)
  • chodzą — walk / go (third person plural present of chodzić — habitual motion verb)
  • parami — in pairs (instrumental plural of para)

  Grammar note

  The verb chodzić is the indeterminate motion verb meaning habitual or repeated walking, as opposed to iść (a single directed trip). Parami is the instrumental plural of para, and the instrumental case here expresses manner — 'in the manner of pairs.' This instrumental of manner is a key Polish grammatical pattern: chodzić parami, przychodzić falami (to come in waves), etc.

  Cultural context

  This proverb is one of the most widely used expressions of consolation in Polish, equivalent to the English 'when it rains, it pours.' It appears in everyday speech, literature, and the press. Saying it to someone acknowledges their bad luck without minimising it, and implies shared human experience — a gentle form of solidarity.

  Beginner

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