• Listen

  What it means

  “The apple falls close to its own apple tree.” Children take after their parents. This variant uses ‘swej’ (its own) to stress the close bond between parent and child.

  English equivalent

  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

  Vocabulary

  • swój — one's own
  • jabłoń — apple tree
  • blisko — close, near
  • jabłko — apple
  • padać — to fall

  Grammar note

  'Od swej jabłoni': 'swej' is the genitive feminine singular of 'swój', agreeing with 'jabłoni' (genitive of 'jabłoń'). 'Blisko' is an adverb.

  Cultural context

  One of several Polish forms of the apple-tree proverb. The possessive 'swej' suggests that the apple belongs to that tree and cannot go far.

  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!