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  What it means

  Literally “A drunkard will find a drunkard.” The proverb means that people with the same vices, habits, or character traits naturally gravitate toward each other — birds of a feather flock together. It is most commonly applied to people with bad habits finding companions who share those habits, reinforcing each other’s behaviour.

  English equivalent

  Birds of a feather flock together.

  Vocabulary

  • pijak — drunkard, heavy drinker (colloquial, pejorative)
  • znajdzie — will find (third person singular future perfective of znaleźć)

  Grammar note

  The verb 'znajdzie' is the future perfective of 'znaleźć' (to find), implying that the finding is certain and complete — not a habitual process but an inevitable outcome. The repetition of 'pijak' as both subject and object of the same verb creates the emphatic, proverbial rhythm.

  Cultural context

  The proverb has a mildly judgmental, colloquial tone. It is used not only about drinking but about any shared vice or negative trait — gossips, troublemakers, or lazy people. It reflects a broader Polish folk belief that character is revealed through the company one keeps.

  Beginner

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